Historical St. Nicholas Church in Türkiye draws tourists from around the world

By Hatice Ozdemir Tosun

ANTALYA, Türkiye (AA) – The historical St. Nicholas Church and Museum in Türkiye's Mediterranean coastal province of Antalya attracts visitors from around the world.

The church, which has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List for 23 years, is located in the Demre district.

Excavations have been carried out since 1989 in the church in the Gokyazi neighborhood, where St. Nicholas, known as "Santa Claus" lived, served and was buried.

The church, which was a center of worship during the Middle Ages, still attracts the interest of Christians today.

St. Nicholas Church and Museum, which is part of the ancient city of Myra, a Lycian settlement, carries traces of the Middle Byzantine period with its architectural style and decorations.

Built in the form of a basilica in the 4th century AD but underwent many changes over time, the church features wall paintings depicting scenes of councils where decisions related to Christianity were taken.

Local and foreign tourists visiting the church with a guide receive information about the life of St. Nicholas, the church, the museum, and the region.

- Restoration work completed

Museum Director Niluffer Sezgin told Anadolu that St. Nicholas was born in Patara in the 3rd century AD and was the son of a wealthy merchant.

Sezgin said that the Christian saint, who is known for his kindness, came to Demre in the early 4th century.

She said that after his death, the tomb of Nicholas was visited by a large number of visitors. The Myra Ancient City and the church were buried under alluvial layers due to two major earthquakes in the 5th century AD, she added.

The church was later rebuilt and has survived to this day, Sezgin said, adding that restoration and landscaping work has been carried out in the church for the last two years.

Sezgin said that they conducted the work without completely closing the church, adding that the icons in the church were improved and strengthened.

Noting that it is one of the important churches visited as a pilgrimage site by Christians, she said:"The St. Nicholas Museum is the most visited archaeological site in our region. We saw figures in the 700,000s; there was a decrease in the number of visitors during the pandemic, but this year we hosted 450,000 visitors, and the number of visitors is increasing rapidly. It is not difficult to reach 1 million because there is incredible demand. We have visitors from Russia, Greece, and many European countries."