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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Lifestyle
David Flett & David Kent

'Santa's grave' found in Turkey underneath church as Christmas comes early for archaeologists

Turkish archaeologists have claimed that they have found the grave of the man who inspired the modern-day Santa Claus.

The fella with the red coat and sack full of toys is a pretty modern tradition, but the tale is actually based off a real person in the form of Saint Nicholas - a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra in the Roman Empire.

Nicholas was known for his generous gifts to the poor and this is where the idea of gifting at Christmastime comes from, though his feast day is traditionally on January 6.

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But now, it seems like his tomb has been located under a church.

The Daily Star reports that his resting place was located amid the remains of an ancient Christian Orthodox church in Turkey, that was submerged by rising Mediterranean sea levels in the Middle Ages.

Another church was built on top of the previous basilica in the town of Myra between the 5th and 12th centuries to protect St Nicholas' tomb.

The uncovered mosaic floors are understood to be the same ones that Saint Nicholas once walked on (Antalya DHA)

But earlier this month, the grave was located after the archaeologists found mosaic and stone flooring from the original sanctuary, supporting claims that the holy figure lived and died in the Roman Empire (modern-day Turkey).

Speaking to the Demiroren News Agency, 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."

Records have always suggested that the saint was buried at the church built in his name, although it was also believed that his remains were smuggled to Bari in Italy by sailors or merchants in 1087.

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