Scientists have digitally reconstructed the face of St. Nicholas – and everyone is saying the same thing.
The patron saint of sailors, merchants, and toymakers, Nicholas of Myra, who died around 343AD, has had his tomb recently uncovered by archaeologists in Turkey.
This discovery aligns with historical knowledge of the Saint, who lived in the ancient city of Myra, now part of modern-day Turkey. Using the skull from the tomb, digital scaling and analysis have provided a glimpse into the inspiration behind a classic Christmas character might have looked like.
The photos of the digital reconstruction have gone viral, with X, formerly Twitter, users expressing their amazement at the resemblance to the traditional image of Santa Claus.
One user commented: “New reconstruction of St. Nicholas of Myra. Through forensic analysis of St. Nicholas of Myra’s skull, scientists have digitally reconstructed the face of the man who inspired the legend of Santa Claus.”
This sentiment was echoed widely, with another user writing: “Oh so he looks like Santa Claus then,” garnering 85,000 likes. Some speculate that the image of Nicholas of Myra was already known when the character of Father Christmas was being shaped.
They wrote: “I don’t know much about the history of Santa Claus but I know he was literally just supposed to be Saint Nicholas, so maybe when the tradition started it was at a time when people knew what he looked like and how to depict him?”
Fellow contributors echoed the sentiment, wondering about the preservation of such imagery across generations. Another wrote: “If the reconstruction is accurate, I’m impressed with how well preserved the mental image of Santa’s face was carried through generations.”
One more postulated: “One would imagine that’s why Santa looks the way he does.” Others were less astonished by the facial reconstruction, acknowledging it matched expectations, with one sharing: “Just about what I’d expect. Distinctly Santa-like but obviously a little different to account for shifts in design over all this time.”
Someone else dismissed the hype, quipping: “So basically just Santa Claus then.” While another joked: “No offence to scientists of course but I coulda told you what Santa looks like.”
The prevailing comparison was not solely with the famed Christmas icon. One person observed a resemblance to Anthony Hopkins, an esteemed Oscar-winning actor, while a different commentator light-heartedly suggested St Nicholas bore a likeness to David Jason from Only Fools and Horses renown.