Archaeology & History

Bones of real-life Santa Claus stolen and destroyed in France

By T.K. Randall
November 10, 2026

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) You might be forgiven for thinking that Santa Claus - who delivers presents to children around the world at Christmas - is little more than a story, but in actual fact he is based on a real-life individual - Saint Nicholas - a fourth-century bishop who once lived in the ancient city of Myra in Turkey.

For many years, bone fragments thought to be those of the saint were kept at Saint Nicolas de Port in France - one of the country's few remaining locations said to hold the physical remains of a saint.

On November 2nd, however, someone broke into the building, gained access to the display case containing the bones and then completely destroyed them via burning and crushing.

He had reportedly been motivated by his belief that devotion to them was a form of idol worship."The police investigation made it possible to identify and arrest the perpetrator," said a local parish priest. "He admitted having broken the display case, then burned and crushed the relic."

"Beyond the heritage value of this object, what touches us today is, above all, a profound attack on our history, our faith and the devotion of generations of pilgrims."

The theft marks a sad end for a relic that had brought people to the church for centuries and comes just weeks before the Feast of Saint Nicholas which commemorates his death.

It is one of several high-profile attacks on Christian heritage sites in France in recent years.

Source: Mail Online

Tags: Santa