Random Archaeologists In Turkey Believe They've Discovered Tomb Of Saint Nicholas (11 items)

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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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#6) Saint Nicholas's Bones Were Believed To Have Been Stolen

  It's something of a surprise that Saint Nicholas's remains may have turned up in a church in Turkey. Many believe that, shortly after the saint's death, Italian merchants stole his body and took it to Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy. Apparently, some fragments of his ribs are kept in this Italian location, and, as recently as May 2017, they've been loaned out to a Russian museum.
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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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  (#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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  (#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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  (#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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