Archeologists find tomb of Saint Nicholas, 4th century bishop and inspiration for Santa Claus

St. Nicholas Church is an ancient East Roman basilica church in the ancient city of Myra, now a museum located in modern Demre, Antalya Province, Turkey. It was built above the burial place of St Nicholas, a fourth century Christian bishop of Myra. The basilica is on UNESCO's tentative list to become a World Heritage Site. | Getty Images

Archeologists have found the tomb that holds the remains of Saint Nicholas underneath an ancient church in Turkey. Nicholas, who became the basis for the Christmas character Santa Claus, died more than 1,600 years ago. 

“This is an extremely important discovery, the first find from that period,” Fox News quoted Osman Eravsar, chairman of the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, as saying about the discovery in a church in the Demre town in southern Turkey.

After rising sea levels in the Mediterranean submerged the church, a second church was built there centuries later.

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