The Grave Of St. Nicholas - AKA Santa Claus - Has Been Found

Published|Updated

Just a parenting tip from a guy with no kids, but you may want to keep the following information to yourself: Santa Claus is dead. Researchers have found the exact location of the jolly old man's grave.

According to Live Science, Turkish researchers have found the tomb of St. Nicholas, the figure who inspired Santa Claus, under a fifth-century church in Demre, Turkey.

Researchers reportedly found Santa Claus' grave while uncovering remnants of the ancient sanctuary.

8d5cac19-

Inside St. Nicholas Church and Museum in Turkey. (Photo by Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

St. Nicholas died on Dec. 6, 343 AD, and while researchers already knew that his body was buried in the fourth century AD his remains were stolen around 700 years after he died. This left it a mystery as to where the original resting place of St. Nicholas was located.

“This is an extremely important discovery, the first find from that period,” Osman Eravşar, chairman of the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, told local news outlet DHA.

40c89269-

Getty Images

Remnants of the tile and mosaic flooring from the original basilica in which St. Nicholas was buried were discovered during recent excavations.

"Now we have reached the remains of the first church and the floor on which Saint Nicholas stepped," Eravşar explained.

Not much is known about the real St. Nicholas, but 'Father Christmas' came to be due to him allegedly donating most of his money to the poor. The ties of his giving wealth to the poor are believed to be where the yearly gift-giving on Christmas came about.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.