Meet the REAL Father Christmas: Scientists rebuild face of Saint Nicholas after 1,700 years – complete with iconic beard
THE true face of the man that inspired Father Christmas can be seen for the first time in almost 1,700 years - after scientists reconstructed his likeness from his skull.
Saint Nicholas of Myra was an early Christian saint whose reputation for gift-giving inspired the Dutch folk figure of Sinterklaas, later to become Santa Claus.
This mythical figure would then merge with the English Father Christmas – often associated with feasting and games, rather than gifts – to create the character children adore today.
Yet no depiction of the man behind the myth survives from his lifetime, with most representations of "Old Saint Nick" dating to 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 forensically rebuilt his features using his skull.
Cicero Moraes, lead author of the new study, said it was a “strong and gentle face”.
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He explained it was also “curiously compatible” with the “broad face” described in the 1823 poem, A Visit From St Nicholas, widely known as ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.
He said: “The skull has a very robust appearance, generating a strong face, as its dimensions on the horizontal axis are larger than average.
“This resulted in a ‘broad face’ curiously compatible with the 1823 poem.
“This characteristic, combined with a thick beard, is very reminiscent of the figure we have in mind when we think of Santa Claus.”
José Luís Lira, Mr Moraes’ co-author and an expert on the lives of saints, described the significance of the real Nicholas of Myra.
He said: “He was a bishop who lived in the early centuries of Christianity and had the courage to defend and live the teachings of Jesus Christ, even at the risk of his life.
“He challenged the authorities, including the Roman Emperor, for this choice.
“He helped those in need so frequently and effectively that when people sought a symbol of kindness for Christmas, the inspiration came from him.
“His memory is universal not only among Christians, but among all peoples.”
Mr Moraes explained how the famous saint became the folk legend of today.
He said: “The Protestant Reformation, led by Martin Luther, was a movement that contributed to the disappearance of devotion to Saint Nicholas in many countries.
“A notable exception was in the Netherlands, where the legend of Sinterklaas – which is a linguistic suppression of the saint's name – remained strong, even influencing the colonies of that nation.
“One of these colonies was the city of New Amsterdam, today New York, where the legend was anglicised into the name Santa Claus.
“He was described as an old man who punished misbehaving children and rewarded those who behaved well with gifts.”
He continued: “The image of Santa Claus as we know it today is based on an illustration by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly magazine in early 1863.
“This in turn was inspired by the description in the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas attributed to Clement Clarke Moore.”
The poem gave rise to many popular notions about the folk figure we have today, including his rosy cheeks, his reindeer, his sleigh, his sack of toys, and the “broad face” described 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.
He said: “We initially reconstructed the skull in 3D using this data.
“We then traced the profile of the face using statistical projections.
“We supplemented this with the anatomical deformation technique, in which the tomography of a living person's head is adjusted so that the virtual donor's skull matches that of the saint.
“The final face is an interpolation of all this information, seeking anatomical and statistical coherence.”
The result is two sets of images: one objective in greyscale, and one more artistic – adding features like a beard and clothes, inspired by the iconography of Saint Nicholas.
The remains of the saint reveal more than just his face, however.
Mr Moraes said: “He apparently suffered from severe chronic arthritis in his spine and pelvis, and his skull showed bone thickening that could cause frequent headaches.
“According to this source, his diet would be mostly plant-based.”
In life, Saint Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey.
Various deeds are attributed to him, including saving three girls from prostitution by paying a dowry for each, allowing them to be married.
He’s also said to have resurrected three children murdered by a butcher, who had pickled them in brine and planned to sell them as pork.
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Initially interred in Myra, his bones were later removed to Bari in Italy, where they remain today.
Mr Moraes, Dr Lira and their co-author, Thiago Beaini, published their study in the journal OrtogOnLineMag.
The legend of Saint Nicholas
SAINT Nicholas, the historical figure who inspired the modern-day Santa Claus, is a beloved saint in Christian tradition.
He was a 4th-century bishop of Myra (modern-day Demre in Turkey) and is known for his generosity, miracles, and compassionate spirit.
Saint Nicholas was born around 270 AD in the Roman province of Lycia, in the town of Patara (present-day Turkey).
Raised in a wealthy Christian family, he lost his parents at a young age and inherited a substantial fortune.
Rather than keeping the wealth for himself, Nicholas dedicated his life to serving others, living out his faith through acts of charity.
Several stories about Saint Nicholas emphasise his generosity and miraculous deeds. Some of the most well-known include:
The Dowries for the Three Sisters: A poor man in Myra had three daughters but could not afford dowries for them, leaving them at risk of being sold into slavery or forced into lives of destitution.
According to legend, Saint Nicholas secretly provided dowries by throwing bags of gold through their window at night.
Some versions of the story say he dropped the gold down the chimney, where it landed in stockings hanging by the fire to dry—a detail that inspired the Christmas stocking tradition.
Saving sailors at sea: Saint Nicholas is also revered as the patron saint of sailors.
One legend recounts that he calmed a fierce storm while on a voyage, saving the ship and its crew through his prayers.
This story spread widely among seafarers, and they began to invoke his protection during their journeys.
The resurrected children: Another famous tale tells of Saint Nicholas resurrecting three children who had been murdered by a butcher during a famine.
In this story, the children had been dismembered and hidden in barrels, but Saint Nicholas miraculously restored them to life.
This narrative contributed to his reputation as a protector of children.
Saint Nicholas was known for his habit of secretly leaving gifts for the poor.His generosity earned him widespread admiration, and he became a symbol of selfless giving.
After his death on December 6 (the year is uncertain but believed to be between 343–352 AD), Saint Nicholas's feast day became widely celebrated in Europe.
Over the centuries, his legend grew, blending with local customs.In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas became known as Sinterklaas, a figure celebrated on December 5 or 6.
Dutch settlers brought the tradition of Sinterklaas to America, where it evolved into the modern Santa Claus, further shaped by cultural influences such as Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and Coca-Cola’s iconic 20th-century advertisements.
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of numerous groups, including children, sailors, merchants, the innocent, and the wrongfully accused.
Icons of Saint Nicholas often depict him as a bishop holding a staff, with gold coins, children, or ships symbolising his miracles and patronage.