Not your Coca-Cola's Santa Claus:
In this decisive council, Arius taught that Jesus was not co-equal to God the Father, but was created by him. Unable to restrain his dispute with Arius, Nicholas approached Arius and slapped – or punched – him in the face. The bishop's loss of cool shocked his contemporaries, though today many relish the fact that Santa Claus himself (in a sense) was a staunch defender of Christian orthodoxy.
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Osman Eravsar, chairman of the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, told the Turkish news organization DHA (Demirören Haber Ajansı) that at the time the remains were taken, “the church was damaged. The tomb was probably opened, his bones were removed, and the sarcophagus was placed in a niche on the side of the chapel. Of course, the original place was not there. His sarcophagus must have been placed in a special place and that is the part with three apses covered with a dome. There we have discovered the fresco depicting the scene where Jesus is holding the Bible in his left hand and making the sign of blessing with his right hand.”
The excavation uncovered the “floor of the period [Nicholas] lived in, and we are talking about the floor on which St. Nicholas’ feet stepped,” according to Eravsar. “This is an extremely important discovery, the first find from that period. Therefore, we see this church as a discovery that will increase the architectural history and its iconographic value a bit more. It will be preserved with a certain technique and made ready for display.”
The church remains 6 feet below sea level, which leaves it at risk from occasional flooding.
Sacred to Christians both East and West, it draws thousands of tourists each year to see the ancient frescoes depicting St. Nicholas, as well as a Roman-era sarcophagus, decorated with fish scales and acanthus leaves, believed to have held his remains.
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