Real-life Santa Claus’ grave found: Iconic Discovery

The tomb of St. Nicholas, the historical character who served as the model for Santa Claus, is allegedly hidden beneath a fifth-century church in Turkey, according to Turkish experts. Although it has long been known that St. Nick was interred in Turkey's Antalya province, the location of his actual grave was unknown until recently, according to Live Science. This is because the saint's remains were stolen about 700 years after his passing. According to Osman Eravşar, chairman of the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, "This is an incredibly remarkable discovery, the first one from that period." Following the discovery of the ancient sanctuary's ruins in the coastal town of Demre, archaeologists learned the location of St. Nick's purported final resting place. According to the Daily Star, the ancestor of Kris Kringle, who passed away on December 6, 343 had purportedly been buried at the UNESCO site. In order to protect the holy man's grave, another church was built on top of the basilica in the town, then known as Myra, between the 5th and 12th centuries. However, the basilica was later buried by rising Mediterranean sea levels in the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, according to Live Science, thieves from Bari, Italy, desecrated the tomb and removed the majority of St. Nick's remains in 1087. Everything appeared to be lost until recent digs uncovered the ruins of the old basilica's tile and mosaic flooring, which led them to think that St. Nick had been buried there. We have now arrived at the original church's ruins and the ground where St. Nicholas walked, according to Eravşar. According to researchers, his final resting place is thought to be at the base of a mural of Jesus. While little is known about the genuine St. Nick, the bishop is said to have boasted a Christ-like list of miracles, including saving a ship from disaster by praying, chopping down a tree possessed by demons, and saving three prostitute girls. His most well-known purported act involved giving the majority of his money to the underprivileged, which served as the inspiration for Father Christmas' yearly gift-giving binges.