In the immortal words of Buddy the Elf, “Santa!!!!! I know him!”
All jokes aside, archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed (pun intended) the tomb of St. Nicholas while discovering the “remains of an ancient church,” according to the Daily Mail.
“Now we have reached the remains of the first church and the floor on which Saint Nicholas stepped," Osman Eravsar, the head of the provincial cultural heritage preservation board in Antalya, said. "The tiling of the floor of the first church, on which Saint Nicholas walked, has been unearthed.”
Another church was built on top of the ancient basilica's foundation to protect the saint's tomb, but it was not until recently did archaeologists uncover mosaic and stone flooring from the previous sanctuary under the one that stands today that led them to St Nicholas' final resting place.
The discovery support claims that St Nicolas lived and died in Turkey and the team also announced that the same stone flooring found hiding beneath layers of sediment was also walked upon by the Christian figure, Demirören News Agency reports.
The lore of St. Nick, of course, led to the legend of Santa Claus, the beloved Christian figure all over the world known for his generosity towards children during the annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
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As reported by History.com:
Santa Claus—otherwise known as Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle—has a long history steeped in Christmas traditions. Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red who brings toys to good girls and boys on Christmas Eve, but his story stretches all the way back to the 3rd century, when Saint Nicholas walked the earth and became the patron saint of children.
As a fellow Nicholas/Nick, I can say that this December 6 — which is my Name Day and the anniversary of the St. Nicholas’ death — will carry extra meaning this year.
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