St. Nicholas Church, Demre
Turkey · Asia
About
St. Nicholas Church is an ancient East Roman basilica church in the ancient city of Myra, now a museum located in modern Demre, Antalya Province, Turkey. It was built above the burial place of Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian bishop of Myra, an important religious figure for Eastern Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics and the historical inspiration for Santa Claus. Its use dated from its 6th century construction for the state church of the Roman Empire by Justinian the Great. It had been in use until the local Greeks required to leave by the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. The basilica is on UNESCO's tentative list to become a World Heritage Site.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.