Hello everyone! Today I will tell you the ancient city of Myra and St. Nicholas Church. About the curiosities of Turkey. I was telling you that Saint Nicholas also known as "Santa Claus" was born in Turkey in Patara. So, this time we have come to this place where the church is. So, we will be showing you around, and hopefully you will enjoy it.
To go to Demre, Antalya and visit the St. Nicholas Church and the ancient city of Myra then we took a bus from Kaş main bus station, the single bus ticket was only eleven Turkish lira and the timetables can be seen outside the office. This is a very short trip from a Kaş it takes about forty minutes and it's a great option for a day trip. Get off the bus at Demre bus station and then we are ready to start our tour in this city!
Our first stop will be Saint Nicholas Church since is the closest place. Santa Claus who is portrayed as a person who brings gifts to children in red white clothing all over the world was actually bishop Nicholas who was born in Patara, Turkey.
In the late 3rd century and lived there until becoming bishop of Myra today Demre, Antalya. Over time he became a saint thanks to what he did.
He was well known for being generous and he mainly protected children, sailors, travelers, and poor men. He built a reputation for secret gift giving to children and all those in need which after passing away his habit of gift-giving became an important tradition that can still be seen in the present time.
After his death a monumental tomb and then a church were built in the name of Saint Nicholas who won the love of the people of Myra with his good deeds, however during a crusade his bones were taken to Bari, Italy and nowadays can be seen in "Basilica Di San Nicola". The church has been renovated over the periods of time. The entrance fee is fifty lira, and the museum pass Turkey is accepted on this site. For more information about the museum cards and updated entrance costs.
After the church, we'll go to the ruins of the ancient city of Myra which are about two kilometres away, and it's famous for its theater and impressive rock tombs. The entrance fee is forty five lira and also here the museum pass Turkey is accepted. To come to this place we need a taxi,unfortunately many buses aren't coming to this direction the taxis can be taken directly from the bus station and the round trip had a cost of 40 lira. The Lycıan Union was formed by 23 cities in the Mediterranean region in the 1st century BC and Myra was one of the leading cities of this union which is considered to be the pioneer of today's democracy. This was one of the most populous and richest cities in the region and also the place where Saint Nicholas was a bishop in the 4th century.
The theater dates back to the 2nd century ac and was built with a donation from one of the richest in the city. This is the largest theater in Lycia and one of the main attractions of Myra. It has thirty eight rows of seats and it's richly decorated with theatrical masks and mythological scenes making it a masterpiece.
The most splendid building of Myra is the rock graves which are dated to 4th century BC twenty three graves are inscribed thirteen of them are Lycian, and ten are ancient Greek, just a few are temple tombs, and one can see steps carved out the rock, that lead to them. However the entrance is forbidden. The difference in the type and characteristics of the tombs provide important information about the social status of the tomb owner.
Being in the place where Saint Nicholas through his good deeds inherited one of the most special and important traditions of humanity to the world has been a great and beautiful experience and we definitely recommend everyone to have it.
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