Who is St.Nicholas?   

Saint Nicholas of ancient Myra is the inspiration for the modern day Father Christmas because of the number of legends in which he helps children and the poor by putting coins in the shoes that had been left out for him.

One legend tells of the daughters of a merchant who were going to be forced into prostitution because their father could not provide dowries for marriage. St Nicholas saved them from this life of sin by dropping bags of gold down the merchants chimney thus enabling them to be married.

He is the patron saint of bakers, pawnbrokers, sailors, children, Greeks and Russians.

The facts are that he was born in Patara in about 300 AD and died around 350AD and was the Bishop of Myra during his life. After St Nicholas’ death he was buried in Myra and a church could well have been built over this tomb shortly after this.

The church was rebuilt during the 8th century after it suffered the damaging effects of earthquakes and Arab raiding parties and it is this structure that can mainly be seen today. After another Arab attack in 1034 caused further damage, the church was restored again in 1043 and a walled monastery added by the Emperor Constantine IX.

The church was again renovated by Tsar Nicholas I in 1862 who installed a belfry and also a vaulted ceiling in the central nave.

St. Nicholas’ Church is a mid-Byzantine domed basilica reached from a steep ramp because the floor is below street level and contains marbled mosaic decorated floors and wall paintings. It has three aisles, a nave covered by a groined vault and in the apse a throne for the bishop can be found which is fairly rare to find in Turkish medieval buildings as many were removed when the churches werer converted into mosques.

The empty tomb of St Nicholas is found in the south aisle behind a marble screen opposite the bishops throne. Although the tomb is worth a look it is not considered to be genuine. The sarcophagus from which the saint’s bones and relics were stolen was found under a stone pavement and on this tomb there are carvings of a couple on the lid.

The church dominates central Demre (known also as Kale, near Antalya) and can be found on the right of Müze Caddesi as you head west out of the town. The church is a destination for pilgrimage but religious services only take place once a year on the Feast of St Nicholas on the 6th of December.

The church is open from 8am till 7pm in summer and autumn and between 8am to 5pm during spring and winter. There is a small admission charged for entry to the church.

Also near Demre is the ancient city of Myra where many rock tombs from the Lycian period and an ancient Greco-Roman theatre can be visited.

A trip to the beach could also be included at Cayagzi, Komurlu or Suluklu.

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