St. Nicholas, or as he is best known in the West, Santa Claus, was a native Lycian, a member of an ancient civilization of southern Asia Minor. He was born in the famous Lycian city of Patara and served as the miracle-working Bishop of Myra in the 4th century. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, merchants, and sailors. One of his most famous miracles is saving three young girls from being forced into prostitution by secretly dropping gold, which their father used as their dowry, through the window of their house.
The church dedicated to him in the ancient city of Myra, today known as Demre, and his tomb are pilgrimage sites for many believers. Gemile Island by the shores of the city of Fethiye today hosts the ruins of several Byzantine churches built between the fourth and seventh centuries AD.
