Santa Claus’ Tomb Has Been Found
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Archaeologists at a church in Demre, Turkey believe they have made a discovery that will finally provide an answer to an age-old question about Santa.
Of course, Santa Claus is an imaginary person based on Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century bishop and secret gift giver.
Saint Nicholas died in 343 AD and his remains were kept at the church in Southern Turkey until the 11th century when they seemed to vanish. It has long been thought that Italian thieves had stolen his bones and taken them to the Italian city of Bari.
For years Christians have made pilgrimages to Bari to visit St Nicholas’ supposed final resting place. Now the archaeologists are claiming that any smugglers that came to steal from the church must have stolen the wrong bones. It is likely that the bones that were taken to Bari are those of an unknown priest who may have gifted the tomb to Saint Nicholas.
During a recent survey of the church, archaeologists noticed a human-sized gap under the ground showing up on their radar, and they have come to the conclusion that it must be a tomb that will hopefully contain Saint Nicholas’ remains.
The excavation will be tricky as the ground on top of the tomb is covered in mosaics that must be carefully removed in order to be preserved.