Bone fragment suspected to be of Santa Claus prototype discovered

A team of British scientists found a piece of pelvic bone that may belong to Saint Nicholas, the prototype of today's Santa Claus.

Santa Claus image built from generous Saint Nicholas. Photo: Rex

Experts at Keble College discovered a fragment of a pelvis that may belong to Saint Nicholas, the prototype of today's Santa Claus, Yahoo News reported on December 6. The bone fragment was found in France and is currently owned by Father Dennis O'Neill at St Martha of Bethany Church, Illinois, USA.

Test results showed that the bone fragment dates from the 4th century AD, which coincides with the time of Saint Nicholas' death according to many historians, which is around the year 343.

"Many of the bones we examined were dated to a later date. But the new bone suggests we may have found the remains of St Nicholas," said Professor Tom Higham of Keble College.

Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered saints among Christians. Experts believe he lived in Myra, in modern-day Türkiye. He was said to have been wealthy and famous for his generosity. It was this character that inspired the story of Santa Claus bringing gifts to children on Christmas Day.

Most of the remains believed to belong to Saint Nicholas have been kept in the Basilica di San Nicola, Bari, Italy, since 1087. In addition, about 500 other bone fragments may be preserved in the church of San Nicolò, Venice.

Pelvic bone fragment recently discovered in France. Photo: Newsweek

"The results of the study prompted us to analyze the bones from Bari and Venice to see if they belonged to the same person. We can do this by DNA or genome testing. It would be very interesting if the bones that existed so long ago were real," said Dr Georges Kazan at Keble University.

However, identifying the bones as belonging to the same person does not solve the mystery surrounding the actual remains of St. Nicholas. In October, Turkish archaeologists discovered a tomb amid the ruins of an ancient church that they believe is the tomb of St. Nicholas. They claim that the remains in Italy belong to a different priest.

Scientists may never know for sure whether the bones really belong to the original Santa Claus. "Science cannot prove that the bones are true, only that they are not," concluded Professor Higham.

According to VNE