Home of St. Nicolas (Santa Claus)

Home of St. Nicolas (Santa Claus)

The town of Demre (ancient Myra) is traditionally associated with Saint Paul, who changed ships in its harbor on his way to his trial in Rome, in about 60 AD, after he had been arrested in Jerusalem, charged with inciting to riot. Actually, it was St Nicholas who lived and worked here and became bishop of Myra in the 4th century. Legend has it that he would drop small bags of gold coins down the chimneys of houses with poor girls who were old enough to marry, but had no dowry. Sanctified for his good works, he became the patron saint of virgins, sailors, children, pawnbrokers and Holy Russia. He became known as Santa Claus and as such, has delighted endless generations of children at Christmas.

Today the Church of St Nicholas is Demre's most visited site. The earliest church of St. Nicholas at Myra which was built in the 6th century. The present-day church was constructed mainly from the 8th century onward; a monastery was added in the second half of the 11th century. In 1863, Tsar Alexander II of Russia purchased the building and began restoration to commemorate Russia's parton saint, although the work was never completed..
About 2 km (1.2 miles) inland are the ruins of Roman Myra. Even more ancient is the well-preserved Lycian theater and impressive rock tombs in the form of temple-fronts carved into the vertical faces of cliffs. A few are temple tombs and one can see steps carved out the rock that lead to them. Most of the tombs are from the 4th century BC, and many contain funeral scenes in relief, some scenes portraying the daily life of the deceased.

Notes: Note: Guests must be able to walk over even paved and uneven surfaces. Comfortable clothing and shoes are recommended. A minimum participation is required to operate all Yachting Land Adventures and some have limited capacity. All adventures and prices in the SeaDream Yachting Land Adventures program are subject to change.

Port: Demre

Duration: 2.5 hours

Current Price: 119 USD