Scientists reconstructed a portrait of Saint Nicholas of Myra, who inspired the image of Santa Claus, from his 1,700-year-old skull.
Saint Nicholas of Myra is a Christian saint famous for his generosity in giving gifts to the poor. This saint inspired the Dutch folk character Sinterklaas, later known as Santa Claus in America. No illustrations of Saint Nicholas have survived, with most depictions of him dating from centuries after his death in 343. Brazilian graphic artist Cícero Moraes and his colleagues first reconstructed the features of Saint Nicholas from his skull, revealing his face for the first time in the late Roman Empire, Ladible reported on December 4.
According to Moraes, the reconstructed face of Saint Nicholas has both strong and gentle features. “The skull has a very muscular appearance, suggesting a face with a strong personality, as the size of the skull on the horizontal axis is larger than average. This feature, combined with the bushy beard, is reminiscent of that we think of when we think of Santa Claus,” Moraes said.
To reconstruct the face of Saint Nicholas, Moraes and his colleagues used data collected by researcher Luigi Martino in the 1950s, with permission from the Nicolaiani Research Center. Initially, they reconstructed the skull in 3D using this data. They then tracked facial shapes using statistical projections. Moraes’ team added an anatomical deformation technique, in which a CT scan of a living person’s head is adjusted so that the virtual donor’s skull matches that of St. Nicholas. The final face is the result of interpolating all the information, looking for anatomical and statistical consistency.”
In the end, the researchers created two sets of images, including objective grayscale images and artistic images with additional features such as beards and clothing, inspired by the symbolism of Saint Nicholas.
Moraes speculates Saint Nicholas suffered from severe chronic arthritis in his spine and pelvis. His skull showed thickening of the bones that could cause frequent headaches. Therefore, his diet is likely to be mainly plant-based.
José Luís Lira, study co-author and expert on the lives of saints, describes the importance of Saint Nicholas of Myra. When he was alive, Saint Nicholas was bishop of Myra, present-day Türkiye. “Saint Nicholas was a bishop who lived in the early centuries of Christianity. He courageously defended and lived the teachings of Jesus, even at the risk of his own life. He challenged the scholars.” authorities, including the Roman Emperor, for this choice. The memory of Saint Nicholas is popular not only among Christians, but among all people,” Lira said.
Saint Nicholas’ remains were originally buried in Myra, then his bones were transferred to Bari, Italy, where they are kept to this day. Moraes, Lira and study co-author Thiago Beaini published their findings in the journal OrtogOnLineMag.