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A group of scientists may have found the final resting place of Saint Nicholas, the inspiration for modern-day Santa Claus.
Santa Claus is the most popular Christmas icon in the world, with millions of children awaiting his arrival every year on December 25.
The modern-day figure is inspired by stories and folklore surrounding Saint Nicholas, a Christian bishop of Greek descent who is believed to have performed many miracles.
Scientists now claim to have discovered the tomb of Saint Nicholas under the floor of a church in Turkey.
It was previously assumed that Saint Nicholas was buried in a church in his home town of Myra. But since his remains were stolen around 700 years after his death, the exact burial place was still in question.
The church in Myra where he was thought to be buried was renamed Demre in 2015. Two years later, a group of scientists discovered that the Demre church was built on top of the foundations of an older Christian church, where Saint Nicholas was thought to have served as a bishop.
Scientists also discovered stone mosaics and stone flooring, which are of the same design as the older church.
This led scientists to believe that the tomb of Saint Nicholas was submerged by rising Mediterranean Sea levels during the Middle Ages.
"When the screed floor slab laid in the 1970s was removed where it was, an excavation was carried out to find out what's under it. The result was an early 4th-century floor covering of the church," explained Prof Dr. Osman, Chairman of the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board.
"The first church was submerged with the rise of the Mediterranean Sea, and some centuries later, a new church was built above," Osman Eravsar, head of the provincial cultural heritage preservation board in Antalya, told Turkish news organisation Demiroren Haber Ajansi.
This year, Mr Eravsar announced the discovery of the location of Saint Nicholas' tomb. He explained that the grave was found at the foot of a mural of Jesus Christ.
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