Do you believe in Santa Claus ? Probably not anymore, if you ever did at all. but thanks to a recent discovery in Turkey, Santa Claus is officially no more just a matter of belief .
Thanks to the tireless work of archaeologists and scientists in the region, the grave site of Saint Nicholas, the person, has been discovered beneath a church in the Antalya province.
RELATED STORIES
The myth of Santa Claus has been told and retold all over the world for hundreds of years.
Despite what you may have been led to believe, Santa Claus wasn’t invented by Coca-Cola. In fact, the story of Santa Claus begins all the way back in the 4th century CE.
A man named Nicholas became the Bishop of a village called Myra, in what would now be modern-day Turkey.
Nicholas eventually became canonized and in a short period of time became one of the most popular saints in the history of Christianity.
Very little is known about Saint Nicholas the person, but all of the folklore surrounding his name speaks of his kindness and generosity.
More specifically, his kindness and adoration toward children — which was incredibly rare at that time in history.
Now, thanks to archaeologists working in Turkey, we now know the precise spot where Saint Nicholas was buried.
Experts say that the gravesite was discovered in Turkey’s Antalya province, under a church that bears the same name as Saint Nicholas .
The church itself is estimated to have been built in either the 7th or 8th century, CE.
It was built on the foundation of yet another church, the very same one where Saint Nicholas is said to have been made Bishop before it flooded in the Middle Ages , according to DHA.
According to Professor Dr. Osman Eravşar, the president of Antalya’s Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, this is a crucial discovery.
Mainly, because it is the first of its kind from that time period. “We see this church as a discovery that will increase the architectural history and its iconographic value a bit more,” Eravşar explained to DHA.
This also means that scientists and archaeologists could find actual relics belonging to Saint Nicholas.
“There are probably other bones that are said to belong to him, or at least other iconographic fragments ,” Eravşar continued. Unfortunately, since the original church is now more than two meters below sea level, it’s all speculation.
The site was discovered after a slab of flooring, laid in the 1970s, was removed.
An excavation was then ordered in order to discover what lay underneath it. Upon its completion, the tomb of Saint Nicholas revealed itself after remaining hidden for more than 1600 years.
This has incredible expectations, especially for the orthodox Christian world.
As it stands, thousands of people already visit the church each year. Now that the grave site and tomb of Saint Nicholas have been unearthed, those numbers are expected to skyrocket.
Many devout and faithful Christians are saying that this is a good omen.
The irony of Saint Nicholas’ tomb being found just in time for Christmas doesn’t appear to have been lost on anyone. Many have joked that they’ll be sending their Christmas letters to Turkey this year, instead of the North Pole.
So for the remainder of this year, be sure to be extra good and kind to those around you.
Don’t pout, don’t shout, because after 1600 years lost to the annals of time, it appears that Santa Claus is indeed coming to town.
