St. Nicholas Church

An interesting look back in time for those who respect history or archeology. Some of the "magic" is lost in areas where the renovations are obvious and other locations are locked off to the public; not to mention having to walk through the gift shops in order to approach the museum/church. Still, a very worthwhile visit for those in the area who wants to see the origins of Santa Claus.

They do offer an optional audio tour which I recommend else you are just looking at old stones without any context.

Very nice and old preserved church, st Nicholas himself was not present. Plenty of parking available in the area. In the church there are nice murals / frescos.

The church contained the original tomb of Saint Nicholas. His body was removed from the tomb during the Crusades. The original church dates from the 6th century AD, although reconstructions were made later. The frescos date from the 12th and 13th centuries.

It’s always curious and great to be in old church. Especially it was church of St. Nicolas. There are renovations and loud works even during the day when you visit it, but you still can see old walls, murals on the walls, tomb. If you want to buy icons, there is a small shop inside the area. Buy it there because money will be used for renovations of the church!

We were at that place with my family. Historical and divine place. Those who were in Jerusalem or Meke will understand me. I advise you to take the icon at home, those that are sold at the market of high quality and the price is too high. We visited this place as part of an excursion. You can buy a ticket yourself and purchase an audioguide. We liked it, I advise you to visit. Have a nice rest

Third time in this place. Really wonderful place. Great emotions and atmosphere. You feel the power of this place. But it's better to visit yourself without tourists and during usual working days. 1,5 hours from Kemer by car. The price for adult 30 Turkish liras. Kids before 8years old free.

Cool to visit this church, but now it actually looks more like a museum, as not all the most ladies are covered their hands lol. And there was no place to put the candles. Still it’s a nice place to explore, have sarcophagus of Nicholas, his images and of some other saints. For older people there is a shop on the territorry with icons of saints and some saint Nicholas souvenirs. For history lovers, there are so many small details hidden in the corridors (mosaics, stones, archs etc). Worth visiting and recall the trip during every Saint Nicholas Day in December :)

Very interesting place, loved what was left of the wall painting carvings. St. Nick actually born in a town near by. Burial tomb still mostly intact in Church.

Mystical experience! Great architecture. A lot of Russian tourists there. Very clean church.

The church to honor Saint Nicholas and contain his tomb was built in AD 520 on the foundations of the older Christian church where Saint Nicholas served as bishop. Over time the river changed course and the church filled with silt and was buried (the pictures show it is fifteen-to-twenty feet below ground level). In 1862 Russian Tsar Nicholas I restored the church, adding the tower and making other changes to its Byzantine architecture. The church is regarded as the 3rd most important Byzantine structure in Anatolia. It is noted for the remarkable wall frescos, its architectural and its religious significance. The northeast annex arcade contains the only example of the Nicholas cycle in Turkey.

Several tombs have been alleged to have been St. Nicholas’ original tomb. The one on the left is often identified as the original tomb, as the side is smashed, however, the cover shows two figures, neither a clergy person.
The middle one is also damaged, with a broken top, and sometimes identified as the correct tomb.

The tomb below is also named as St. Nicholas’ original tomb.
Tsar Nicholas I, who restored the church in 1862, had the Troparion to St. Nicholas carved into stone and placed over this tomb.

The northeast aisle arcade was opened to the public in 2009 (it wasn’t open when we visited in May 2009—a boy helped by taking photos with my camera through the space underneath the locked doors at each end). The aisle has many frescos from the 12th century, including some of the life cycle of Saint Nicholas—the earliest and only such cycle to have survived in Antalya.

The restoration of the church, and particularly the wall paintings, has been carried out with support from the Antalya Administration (2002), the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (2001), the World Monuments Fund—Samuel H. Kress Foundation (2000), and most recently by the Aristotle S. Onassis and Vehbi Koç foundations (2003–2006). The site was included in the World Heritage List in 1982. The work of inventorying the murals and architectural spaces is carried out by the Conservation of Historic Buildings and Architecture under the direction of architect Cengiz Kabaonlu. Preservation and restoration is under the direction of T. Ridvan Isler. Historian Nilay Karakaya, Erciyes University, analyzes and interprets the wall paintings that have been recorded and restored. Professor Yildiz Otüken, Hacettepe University, Ankara, is Director of the excavations and publishes the reports.

A beautifully preserved place with an interesting history.

Church of St. Nicholas whom is also known as Santa Claus. This medium size church still has many well preserved wall paintings and ornaments. The tomb of St. Nicholas is open for visitors tough his body was stolen and taken to Italy by Italian merchants centuries ago. His remains are now at Bari, Italy.

Very nice place to visit well preserved . No parking space . Easy wheelchair Axess.

A sacred place for Orthodox Christians especially visited regularly. A must see. The church has many ancient paintings still very colorful after hundreds of years.

It is worth visiting it, take a bus from Antalya to here just to see the church.

St Nicholas Church is breathtaking place especially for those in Orthodox religion this church is from the 6th century apparently st. Nicholas was buried here but his remains are not to farm today this is the reason from all of the robbery in destruction of Ottoman Empire they tried to preserve her his remains and sent into the different places all around the world at the moment the only remains that you can find at St Nicholas feet in St Petersburg you can go inside the church all around it you can buy souvenirs you can rent music device to listen history about the place if you don't have a tour guide there is an interesting fact about tomb sign that was built by order of Russian emperor Nikolai Romanov

Church of Santa Claus.. From IV century, lately under reconstruction.. Recommendations for everyone who loves history.

St. Nicolas Church, which is at the forefront with its history and beauty, is a place that everyone should come and visit!

Beautifully restored church of the early 9th or 10th century. I particularly enjoyed the murals and the mosaic floor.

Beautiful church and so well preserved, the frescos are fantastic. This is a very interesting place by thehungrytravellers.blog