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(#5) Saint Nicholas Might Not Be Buried There At All
While many are jumping to the conclusion that these archaeologists have definitively found the remains of Saint Nicholas, others are more skeptical. Carol Meyers, founder of the St. Nicholas Center, told the Huffington Post that "the speculation is very premature... If relics are found, they would need to be dated and examined by international experts. The Turks, of course, are very interested in promoting tourism. I’d be very reluctant to jump to any conclusions."
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(#4) The Catholic Church Wants The Body
Because Saint Nicholas is, well, a saint, the Catholic Church has a vested interest in claiming any remains that exist. These bones, wherever they may be, are considered relics, and the Church would want to add them to their collection. It's a bizarre assortment that includes the finger of Saint Thomas, the tongue of Saint Anthony, and the bodies of Saint Mark and Saint Cecilia.
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(#9) Saint Nicholas Was Known To Give Gifts
According to legend, Saint Nicholas did share some notable traits with the modern-day Santa Claus – like his habit of dropping gifts down the chimney. One story tells of a poor man with three daughters. He was unable to marry them off, as he couldn't afford their dowries. Enter Saint Nicholas, who, in the dead of the night, dropped a bag of gold down the chimney. The gold fell into a stocking hung by the fireplace to dry.
This gold allowed the eldest daughter to get married. The saint repeated the process for the second daughter, but was caught by the father on his third attempt. He asked the man not to tell anyone about his late night gold dispensing. But the cat was out of the bag, and from then on, whenever anyone received an anonymous gift, they believed it was from Saint Nicholas.
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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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(#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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(#2) Unearthing The Tomb Will Take Time
Unfortunately, exploring this exciting find is a slow process. The tomb is situated underneath a mosaic-covered floor, which means archaeologists will have to carefully remove the tiles before potentially uncovering the saint's remains.
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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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