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(#10) Saint Nicholas Is Linked To A Legend From The Netherlands
Another connection between Saint Nicholas and Santa Claus comes by way of the Netherlands. Saint Nicholas's selfless gift-giving made him the basis for the (controversial) Sinterklaas figure – the star of a parade that determines which children have been naughty or nice. The name "Sinterklaas" eventually morphed into the Americanized "Santa Claus."
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(#7) Some Believe Saint Nicholas's Resting Place Is A Mediterranean Island
The true location of Saint Nicholas's body is a longstanding mystery. In 1993, a team of historians concluded that his remains must have ended up on the Mediterranean island of Gemile. The historians found the remains of a Christmas pilgrimage center, and, based on the fact that sailors used to call the island St. Nicholas, assumed that the saint had been buried there.
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(#8) Saint Nicholas Was The Real-Life Santa Claus
Saint Nicholas was born to wealthy parents in the formally Greek, now Turkish, village of Patara. His parents raised him to be a devout and dedicated Christian, but they died while he was still young, leaving him with a substantial inheritance.
You might expect a young man to spend that money like crazy, but not Nicholas. He decided to live by Jesus's words: "Sell what you own and give the money to the poor." He became renowned for his generosity as he spent his entire inheritance on the needy.
All his good deeds lead to Nicholas being canonized as the patron saint of children, the hungry, seamen, among other things. His tendency to give gifts of money also made him something of a magical figure, and over time, he morphed into the figure now known as Santa Claus.
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(#11) Some People Believe St. Nicholas's Remains Might Be In Ireland
There's more than one theory circulating when it comes to the whereabouts of Saint Nicholas's remains. Local legend has it that the saint's remains were moved to Kilkenny in Ireland around 8oo years ago, making a stop in Italy along the way. The grave slab itself appears to feature the image of a cleric believed to be Saint Nicholas himself. The fact that the Normans in the area were ardent collectors of religious relics only serves to strengthen the argument that this corpse is, in fact, the real Saint Nick.
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(#1) Scans Revealed A Hidden Tomb
In October 2017, archaeologists in Turkey made an exciting announcement: they believed they had discovered Saint Nicholas's remains, hidden beneath the floor of a church in the Demre district of Antalya. Scans revealed what looks like a previously hidden chamber underneath the floor. The church is located in Southern Turkey, close to where the saint is believed to have been born.
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(#3) The Remains Would Have To Be DNA Tested
Once the tomb is excavated, archaeologists may find a body. If they do, they would have to test the remains to determine whether or not they actually belonged to Saint Nicholas.
Believe it or not, DNA testing of this source would be possible. In July 2017, a team of researchers were able to identify the skeletal remains of Canaanites via genome sequencing. This same method could very well be applied to the ancient remains of Saint Nicholas.
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Turkish archaeologists reported that a well-preserved tomb was found under the Church of St. Nicholas in southwestern Turkey. They believed that the prototype of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was buried inside. Saint Nicholas was a bishop who lived in the ancient Greek city in the third and fourth centuries AD. He loved children and helped the poor people all his life.
In Bulgaria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and other countries, people still solemnly celebrate St. Nicholas Day from mid-to-late November to early December. The random tool introduced 11 details about this important archaeological discovery in Turkey. The local tourism industry has therefore ushered in important developments.
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