Saint Nicholas of Myra in Demre (Türkiye), origin of Santa Claus

La Church of San Nicolás en Demre It's one of four or five most visited monuments in Türkiye and a mandatory stop on any tour of the Mediterranean coast of this country.

Many reasons justify why all travelers want to come and see this historical monument.

On the one hand there is its historical value, a reflection of a time and the thousand vicissitudes that this area has experienced, and for this reason it is included in the tentative list of the World Heritage for the Unesco since 2000.

There is also its religious value, since St nicolas (known as Saint Nicholas of Bari or Myra) is he patron saint of Türkiye, Greece and Russia, which is why it receives a constant flow of pilgrims of those nationalities.

In addition to all this, many of us want to know this place because St nicolas is (probably) the the origin of the figure of Papai Noel o Santa Claus.

The church, now converted into a museum, is in the city of Demre, a population that has historically been known as Myra.

In addition to the church, in Demre There are other important places to visit such as lycian necropolis and ancient theater.

Curiosities history of the church of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Demre

The remains of the church are restored and relatively well preserved.

It was abandoned for a long time, since the Greek congregation in the area had to leave the country in 1923 in the process of population exchange between Turkey and Greece.

Much of what we see corresponds to the church built in the 11th century on a much earlier sanctuary.

A curiosity is that you have to descend to it, since the ground level at its time was about three meters below the current level.

Who was Saint Nicholas of Myra

The original structure must have been a basilica built on the tomb of St nicolas, who died in the middle of the 4th century and was born in Patara, One lycian cities most important in antiquity.

San Nicolás was bishop of Lycia and participated in the first Council of Nicea.

Many are attributed to him miracles, even in life, and one of the most famous was resurrecting three boys who had been dismembered by a butcher who put the pieces up for sale in his store.

Fundamentally, they are attributed acts of generosity and philanthropy.

The key episode in his story occurred when he learned that a very poor neighbor could not marry his daughters because he did not have the resources to pay them a dowry, so one night, when everyone was asleep, Nicholas He threw three bags of gold coins out the window at them.

Saint Nicholas and the Christmas tradition

This story, conveniently repeated over time, gave rise to the character who distributes Christmas gifts to children that they behave well.

Tradition states that the miracles continued after his death, and the church that contained his remains grew with different reforms and became one of the most important pilgrimage centers byzantine world.

In fact, Myra It was one of the main stages of the palm trees, pilgrims coming to Jerusalem.

In the year 1087, some merchants of Bari They looted the sarcophagus and took a good part of the bones to their city, and for this reason it is now known as Saint Nicholas of Bari.

A few years earlier, the schism had occurred that led to the separation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, and in those turbulent times the relics of the most venerated saints were among the most valuable and desired objects in the Christian world.

Being such a visited place, there is a good amount of souvenir and curiosity shops, many of them with religious themes.

There is also, as it could not be otherwise, statues of Santa Claus.

What to see when visiting the church of San Nicolás

The church that is currently visited is a quite complex complex due to the different extensions, reconstructions and restorations carried out over time.

One of the last was financed by the Tsar Nicholas I in the 19th century, perhaps because he was the saint of his name and because St nicolas is also the Moscow pattern.

It is advisable to dedicate some time to the visit, looking into corners, patios and galleries, observing the details of the walls, floors and ceilings, and resting for a while in any corner.

If it coincides with the visit of a group of Russian tourists, you can appreciate the veneration they have for the place even though it is already desacralized.

Thus it is also understood that the Antalya region be the stretch of turkish mediterranean coastline most visited by Russians, who thus combine the beaches with the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of their patron.

It is difficult to establish a route through the complex; You simply have to go through it several times because details always appear.

Entry is made by a chapel adorned with frescoes which extends through a gallery where there are several sarcophagi.

The church has a Greek cross plan, very common in the byzantine architecture.

The 11th century construction had a dome, but the tsar's restoration replaced it with a vaulted roof.

Behind the altar, which is surrounded by columns, is preserved the synthronon, a semicircular bench reserved for the clergy.

In various places in the church they appear walls covered in frescoes depicting saints and biblical scenes.

There is a slightly hidden gallery that has some of the best paintings, but it can go unnoticed at a quick glance.

A particularly attractive detail is the floor, with several examples of opus sectile (a kind of mosaics made with pieces of marble) with geometric drawings.

In the Church of Saint Nicholas of Myra several are preserved monumental sarcophagi, one of which is supposed to have kept the remains of St nicolas and is highly revered by Russian pilgrims.

Through the narthex one passes to an atrium, and in both sections there are reliefs of all kinds.

One of the most curious is a cross in which one of the arms becomes an anchor, which is considered proof that St nicolas was considered from very early on protector of sailors.

Schedules and prices to visit the church of San Nicolás de Myra

The church is actually a museum and is open every day of the year.

The Visiting hours of the Church of Saint Nicholas They are from 8,30:17,30 a.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m., with last access half an hour before.

El price of admission To visit the church is 250 Turkish liras (11,70 euros).