Real face of Santa revealed after 1,700 as scientists scan remains of St Nicholas | World | News

The true face of the man that inspired Santa Claus 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 in the US.

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.

Mr Moraes, lead author of the new study, said it was a “strong and gentle face”.

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 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: “The Protestant Reformation, led by Martin Luther, was a movement that contributed to the disappearance of devotion to Saint Nicholas in many countries.

“He was described as an old man who punished misbehaving children and rewarded those who behaved well with gifts.”

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 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.

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, 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 remains of the saint reveal more than just his face however, as Mr Moraes added: “He apparently suffered from severe chronic arthritis in his spine and pelvis, and his skull showed bone thickening that could cause frequent headaches.

Various deeds are attributed to him the saint, including saving three girls from prostitution by paying a dowry for each and resurrecting three children murdered by a butcher, who had pickled them in brine and planned to sell them as pork.

Initially interred in Myra, his bones were later removed to Bari in Italy, where they remain today.