Agios Nikolaos has become known as "Agios Vassilis". He died somewhere between 345 and 352 AD. and was buried in the church of Demre which is officially known as Myra. His body remained there until the 11th century, when according to various testimonies from Italy, his remains were transported to either Venice or Bari.
A mystery that lasts for thousands of years is close to being solved. In one direction or the other. According to a Daily Mail article, archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a tomb under the ancient church that is believed to belong to Agios Nikolaos.
Most Catholics and Orthodox Christians accepted that his last residence was the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari. But experts in Turkey now claim that the remains were transported to Turkey by an anonymous priest.
The head of the excavations in Antalya, Kemil Karabayram, says he is very optimistic that he has discovered the bones of "Santa Claus". He even notes that researchers from eight different specialties participated in the process of revealing the tomb.
The beloved gentleman with the belly and the beard became known in Northern Europe from the 16th century as he became the "father of Christmas" known as the one who distributes gifts to children.
Source: Newsbeast