A coffin that may belong to St. Nicholas was found in Turkey. Photo

Archaeologists in Turkey have found a coffin that may belong to St. Nicholas. Scientists discovered the sarcophagus near the original burial place of the Miracle Worker in the Church of St. Nicholas, located in the province of Antalya.

The sarcophagus was partially buried by 1.5-2 meters and has a gable roof. Researchers are trying to find an inscription on the find that would confirm the burial of the saint, Heritage Daily reports.

Research of St. Nicholas Church

Archaeologists have been researching St. Nicholas Church for two years as part of the Heritage for the Future project initiated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

During the latest excavations of the two-story extension of the church, scientists found a limestone sarcophagus about 2 meters long. It was partially buried by 1.5-2 meters and had a raised lid with a gable roof, the researchers say.

"Our greatest hope is to find an inscription on the sarcophagus. This would help to clarify the contents of the tomb and allow us to determine the exact period from which it dates," said the head of the excavations, Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University.

The scientists emphasize that the research work will continue. "Although the lid of the sarcophagus was opened, only a small part of the burial chamber was exposed. We expect that further excavations will reveal more details in the coming months," the researcher added.

According to the archaeologists, historical sources and the proximity of the sarcophagus to the church give weight to the theory that this could be the original tomb of the Miracle Worker. "This could be a significant archaeological confirmation of the historical sources regarding the burial place of St. Nicholas," Ebru Fatma Findik summarized.

The story of St. Nicholas' life and death

St. Nicholas is known to have been an early Christian bishop of Greek origin from the seaside city of Myra in Asia Minor. The saint is known for his generosity of gift-giving, which gave rise to the traditional notion of Santa Claus and Sinterklaas around the world.

According to historians, a few centuries after his death, the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II ordered the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas on the site where the Miracle Worker was a bishop.

The body of St. Nicholas was exhumed and reburied in the church, but by the 11th century AD, his remains were moved and buried as sacred relics in the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, Southern Italy, experts say.

Historians emphasize that during the First Crusade, Venetian sailors stole the remains of St. Nicholas from the monks of Lycia in the XI century, when Christian shrines were threatened by Muslims, and transported them to Venice, where they were buried in the basilica of the monastery of San Nicolo al Lido.

In 1953, a test of bone fragments from Bari and Venice showed that they came from the same person, although their authenticity has not been proven, scientists say..

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