The bones of Saint Nicholas, who inspired the story of Santa Claus, have mystified the world for nearly 1,700 years following his death.
Housed in the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy, the relics include his skull, long and short bones, numerous tiny fragments, and even small stones
In the 1950s, the tomb of the fourth-century bishop was opened for the first time since 1089 during renovations, allowing the relics to be carefully examined.
The bones, which had lain undisturbed for 866 years, were found scattered in the tomb with clear liquid at the bottom and moisture still in the marrow cavities.
Church officials proclaimed the sight as a remarkable preservation that confirmed their authenticity and set the stage for the mysterious fluid known as the ‘manna’ of St Nicholas.
The manna, an aromatic liquid, has been used for centuries to perform miraculous healings, as it is applied to the sick or added to a drink.
The remains date back around 343 AD, when St Nicholas died, and belong to the early Christian bishop who lived in what is now modern-day Turkey during the Roman Empire.
Saint Nicholas is revered by both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians and became famous for his acts of generosity, particularly secret gift-giving, such as leaving coins in people’s shoes.
Housed in the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy, the relics include his skull, long and short bones, numerous tiny fragments, and even small stones
Believers say that the ‘Manna’ has healing powers
After his parents died in an epidemic, Nicholas distributed their wealth to the poor, and he became the patron saint of merchants, brewers, and toymakers.
One legendary story recounts how he rescued three girls from being forced into prostitution by dropping gold coins through a window so their father could pay dowries for them.
Many of the details of his life were recorded long after his death, leaving only fragmentary contemporary evidence of his miracles.
Though his reputation passed into the figure of Father Christmas or Santa Claus, St Nicholas’s remains are preserved in Bari, where they continue to inspire devotion.
Every May 9th, pilgrims gather at the Basilica as the relics release the sweet-smelling fluid, a phenomenon first reported centuries ago in Myra, Turkey, where he was originally buried.
Archaeologists have not definitively found his untouched tomb, but recent excavations in 2022 to 2024 at the St Nicholas Church in Demre uncovered the original church floor and a potential, well-preserved limestone sarcophagus that might hold his remains.
St Nicholas was bishop of Myra, and by the sixth century, pilgrims were already reporting that the remains exuded a liquid capable of healing the sick.
Legend has it that Italian sailors stole the bones from the tomb in 1087 to protect them from invading Turks, bringing them back to Italy.
Scientists used the bones to reconstruct the face of St Nicholas
The Manna ceremony for Saint Nicholas in Bari Basilica (St Nicholas Center)
The remains of Saint Nicholas are in a church in Italy
Adam English, author of The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus, calls it ‘essentially a holy robbery,’ noting that some fragments of the bones were left behind and later taken by Venetian sailors, now housed in the Church of St. Nicholas in the Lido, Venice.
Once in Bari, the relics continued to exude the same sweet-smelling liquid, whereas the remains in Venice did not.
Initially believed to be myrrh or another aromatic oil, scientific testing in 1925 at the University of Bari determined that the fluid was water. Nevertheless, believers continue to ascribe healing powers to the manna, which is gathered annually, diluted in larger containers, and bottled for pilgrims.
Father Gerardo Cioffari, director of the Centro Studi Nicolaiani at the Basilica, explained the ritual: ‘On the evening of May 9th, the Feast of the Translation of Saint Nicholas from Myra to Bari in 1087, the stone sarcophagus is opened.
In the crowded crypt, the Archbishop of Bari extracts one or two glasses of the water that has formed around the Saint’s bones over the year.
A Father of the Dominican Community pours this manna into large containers of blessed water, which is then used to fill small bottles for sick pilgrims.
Occasionally, extremely small bottles of pure manna are given as relics, but only after official requests from the Orthodox or Catholic hierarchy.’
Every year, on May 9th, the manna is collected
St Nicholas’s connection to Santa Claus emerged centuries later. By the 16th century, stories of his generosity became widespread, particularly in Holland, where his feast day, December 6, is still celebrated in many European countries.
His acts of secret gift-giving inspired the traditions we now associate with Father Christmas.
Skeptics have suggested that the manna might simply be condensation forming in the tomb of the Saint.
However, devotees argue that there is no way water could naturally seep into the crypt.
They point to the exhumation in 1954, when the bones themselves reportedly ‘perspired’ a fluid, and the linen sheet containing the relics was found to be wet.
From 1980 onward, the extraction of the manna has been formally performed every year, maintaining the mysterious tradition that continues to draw pilgrims from around the world. The combination of history, legend, and the inexplicable fluid ensures that the relics of Saint Nicholas remain a source of fascination nearly 1,700 years after his death.
Whether seen as a miracle, a historical curiosity, or both, the ritual surrounding the relics of Saint Nicholas continues to captivate believers and skeptics alike, linking the life of an early Christian bishop to one of the world’s most enduring cultural icons: Santa Claus.
