The real face of the man who inspired Santa Claus can be seen for the first time in nearly 1,700 years, after scientists recreated his skull in his exact replica.
Saint Nicholas of Myra was an early Christian saint whose gift-giving history inspired people Dutch Sinterklaas, who later became Santa Claus in the US.
This fictional character will then join Father England Christmas – often associated with parties and games, not gifts – creating a character that children love today.
However no image of the man behind the legend has survived from his lifetime, with many representations of ‘Old Saint Nick’ dating back centuries after his death in 343 AD.
Now his living face can be seen for the first time since the days of the Late Roman Empire, after experts reconstructed his face using his skull.
Mr Moraes, the lead author of the new study, said it was a ‘strong and gentle face’.
He added that it ‘strangely corresponds’ to the ‘broad face’ described in the 1823 poem, A Visit From St Nicholas, known as ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.
He said: ‘This skull has a very strong appearance, it creates a strong face, because its horizontal dimensions are larger than average.
The real face of the man who inspired Santa Claus can be seen for the first time in nearly 1,700 years, after scientists recreated his image from his skull.
Saint Nicholas of Myra was an early Christian saint whose gift-giving history inspired the Dutch Sinterklaas, who later became Santa Claus in the US (stock photo)
‘This made a “broad face” strikingly consistent with the 1823 poem.
‘This character, combined with a thick beard, is very reminiscent of the image we think of when we think of Santa Claus.’
José Luís Lira, a co-author of Mr Moraes and an expert on the lives of saints, explained the meaning of the real Nicholas of Myra.
He said: ‘He was a bishop who lived in the first century of Christianity and he was courageous in protecting and following the teachings of Jesus Christ, even when his life was in danger.
‘They challenged the authorities, including the Roman Emperor, to decide.
‘He helped the needy so often and so effectively that when people wanted a sign of kindness at Christmas, the inspiration came from him.
‘His memory is everywhere not only among Christians, but among all people.’
Mr Moraes explained how the famous saint became a modern day legend.
To create the face, Moraes and his team used material collected in the 1950s by Luigi Martino, with permission from the Centro Studi Nicolaiani.
Mr Moraes said: “First we reconstructed the skull in 3D using this. Then we tracked the profile of the face using statistical data’
He said: ‘The Protestant Reformation, led by Martin Luther, was a movement that helped end the devotion to Saint Nicholas in many countries.
The most famous was in the Netherlands, where the legend of Sinterklaas – which is a dialectical version of the saint’s name – remained strong, even affecting the localities of that nation.
One of these areas was the city of New Amsterdam, which is today New York, where the legend was changed to the name Santa Claus.
‘He was described as an old man who punished misbehaving children and rewarded those who did well with gifts.’
He continued: ‘The image of Santa Claus as we know him today is based on Thomas Nast’s illustration for Harper’s Weekly magazine in early 1863.
‘This too was inspired by the description in the 1823 poem A Journey from St. Nicholas alias Clement Clarke Moore.’
This poem made many people believe in the characters we have today, such as his gray cheeks, his moose, his eagle, his bag of toys, and the “broad face” we mentioned earlier.
To create the face, Mr Moraes and his team used data collected in the 1950s by Luigi Martino, with permission from the Centro Studi Nicolaiani.
This photo shows a 13th century icon of Saint Nicholas from the monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai, Egypt.
The face is ‘uncannily similar’ to the ‘broad face’ described in the 1823 poem, A Visit From St Nicholas, known as ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.
He said: ‘First we reconstructed the skull in 3D using this data.
‘Then we tracked the shape of the face using statistics.
‘We supplemented this with an anatomical adaptation method, in which the tomography of a living person’s head is modified so that the donor’s skull resembles that of the saint.
‘The final face is the interpretation of all this knowledge, seeking anatomical and statistical correlation.’
The result is two images: one objective in grayscale, and the other in painting – adding elements such as beard and clothes, inspired by the image of Saint Nicholas.
The remains of the saint reveal more than just his face, however.
Mr Moraes said: “It appears he had chronic arthritis of the spine and hips, and his skull showed bone stiffness that could cause frequent headaches.
‘According to this source, her diet is mostly plant-based.’
In life, Saint Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey.
Various tasks are done for him, including saving three girls from prostitution by giving a dowry to each one, allowing them to get married.
He is said to have resurrected three children who had been killed by a butcher, who picked them up in salt and planned to sell them as pigs.
He was first buried in Myra, later his remains were removed to Bari in Italy, where they remain today.
Mr Moraes, Dr Lira and co-author, Thiago Beaini, published their research in the journal OrtogOnLineMag.
