The INSIDER Summary:
- Archaeologists discovered a a tomb beneath the ruins of an ancient church in Demre, Turkey.
- They believe the tomb contains the remains of Saint Nicholas — aka Santa Claus.
- Previous reports claim the saint's remains are in Italy.
There are several days and other holidays between now and Christmas, but the holiday season is already off to a rough start with Santa Claus being found dead.
OK, let me back up a little.
According to Newsweek, archaeologists uncovered a tomb this week containing what they believe to be the remains of Saint Nicholas — aka Santa Santa Claus. The tomb was found at (the appropriately named) Saint Nicholas Church in Demure, which is said to be the birthplace of the saint.
In an interview with local Turkish paper, The Daily Sabah, the head of Antalya's Monument Authority Cemil Karabayram said they came across the tomb while conducting digital surveys below the surface of the church. Karabayram added that the tomb is "is quite difficult to get to it as there are mosaics on the floor." Further work needs to be done to confirm whether or not these are Saint Nicholas' remains, but Karabayram is hopeful given the research the team has conducted.
That said, there are contradicting reports that have some skeptical about the new findings. According to the official site for the Saint Nicholas Center, Saint Nicholas' remains are divided between a tomb in the crypt of the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy and church of San Nicoló in Venice, Italy.
Now, as adults, we know the Saint Nicholas the archaeologists may have found is not the Santa Claus. After all, the modern image of Santa Claus was created by Coca Cola to sell soda, according to Forbes. Rather, the archaeologists may has discovered the remains of the former bishop of Myra who defended the Catholic church during the "Great Persecution,"according to National Geographic.
So if your child comes home from school crying that Santa Claus is dead, take a deep breath — it's just the other guy.
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