Scientists reconstruct the face of Saint Nicholas, the Inspiration for Santa Claus

Scientists reconstructed the face of Saint Nicholas of Myra, also known as Santa Claus, for the first time after nearly 1,700 years, with the help of technology and his skull. Facial reconstruction expert Cicero Moraes led the project, using data collected in the 1950s by Luigi Martino, with permission from the Centro Studi Nicolaiani.

"Initially, we reconstructed the skull in 3D using this data. Then, we traced the profile of the face using statistical projections," Mr. Moraes explained, according to The Express. "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. Moraes described the reconstructed face as having a "strong and kind face," according to LadBible. "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," he is cited by The Sun.

The poem he references is "A Visit from St. Nicholas" attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, which gave rise to many popular notions about Santa Claus, including his rosy cheeks, reindeer, sleigh, sack of toys, and "broad face," as noted by Mirror. Santa Claus is often depicted as a jolly old man dressed in red and sporting a long, white beard who lives in the North Pole, reported by LadBible. He is described as an old man who punishes children who behave badly and rewards those who behave well with gifts, according to Express.co.uk.

"This characteristic, combined with a thick beard, is very reminiscent of the figure we have in mind when we think of Santa Claus," Mr. Moraes added, as reported by Newsbomb.

Mr. Moraes also revealed insights into Saint Nicholas's health. "He apparently suffered from severe chronic arthritis in his spine and pelvis, and his skull showed bone thickening that could cause frequent headaches," he said.

José Luís Lira, co-author of the study and an expert on the lives of saints, described the significance of the real Saint Nicholas of Myra. "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 said. "He challenged the authorities, including the Roman Emperor, for this choice. He helped those in need so often and effectively that when people sought a symbol of kindness for Christmas, the inspiration came from him," he added, as per Mirror.

Various deeds are attributed to Saint Nicholas, including saving three girls from prostitution by paying a dowry for each, allowing them to be married. He is also said to have resurrected three children who were murdered by a butcher, who had pickled them in brine and planned to sell them as pork.

In life, Saint Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. He died in 343 CE. No depiction of Saint Nicholas from his lifetime survives, with most representations dating centuries after his death, as noted by The Sun. He was initially interred in Myra; his bones were later removed to Bari in Italy, where they remain today.

In the Netherlands, the legend of Sinterklaas—a linguistic contraction of the saint's name—remained strong, influencing even the colonies of this nation. Sinterklaas later became Santa Claus in the United States, having been transported to New York (then New Amsterdam) and anglicized, as reported by LadBible.

The image of Santa Claus as we know him today is based on an illustration by Thomas Nast for Harper's Weekly magazine in early 1863, and American consumerism contributed to this modern image, according to Express.co.uk.

Santa Claus has the magical ability to keep an eye on children for the entire year. The classic song "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" features the lines: "He sees you when you're sleeping / He knows when you're awake," as reported by LadBible. Children who are especially anxious about getting in Santa Claus's good books will leave offerings out to him as though he were some mythical pagan deity. Santa Claus is typically used as a method to scare naughty children into line throughout the year, lest they want to wake up to coal on December 25.

The study co-authored by Moraes and Lira was published in OrtogOnLineMag.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq