Myra and the Church of St. Nicholas

Overview

Long before he became Santa Claus, Nicholas was a bishop in a Lycian town on the southern coast of Turkey. His church still stands in modern Demre, half sunk below the street, while a short drive away a cliff of rock tombs looks down on a Roman theater. That town was Myra. Our Demre, Myra and Kekova tour visits its rock tombs and the Church of St. Nicholas.

Myra is best known for the story of Saint Nicholas. Stay a little longer, however, because the Lycian tombs, the theater and the old harbor of Andriake make the visit worth a full morning.

Myra and Saint Nicholas, in Demre

Myra lies in the town of Demre in Antalya province, on a fertile plain near the mouth of the Demre Stream. In Ottoman times a small town called Kale grew here, and later it took the name Demre. The coast of Kekova is a short drive to the west. By sea, our Fethiye to Demre Blue Cruise ends at Demre harbor.

Ancient Myra was one of the six leading cities of the Lycian League, with three votes in its assembly. However, silt from the river now covers much of the Lycian and Roman city, so the visible ruins sit at the foot of the cliffs.

From Lycian City to the Bishop of Myra

A Lycian city on the coast

Lycians probably founded Myra, and by the 3rd century BC it spoke Greek like its neighbors. Its people worshiped Artemis Eleutheria as their protector. Later, under Rome, the city grew into a metropolis, and Myra became one of the leading cities of Lycia.

The Bible, too, passes through Myra. Saint Paul changed ships here on his way to his trial in Rome. A few hours to the west, the Lycian League met at Patara, which tradition names as the birthplace of Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas of Myra

Nicholas was bishop of Myra in the 4th century, when the city was still Roman. Stories of his secret gifts to the poor spread across the Christian world, and over the centuries he became the patron of children and sailors. The Dutch called him Sinterklaas, and in America that name became Santa Claus.

Later, Myra fell to raids more than once. In 809 Abbasid troops sacked the town, and late in the 11th century the Seljuk Turks took it. In 1087, sailors from Bari in Italy used the chaos to carry the bones of Saint Nicholas home, where they still lie in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas.

Tombs, Theater and the Saint’s Church

The Church of St. Nicholas in Myra

The church stands in the center of Demre, below the level of the modern street, because centuries of floods raised the ground around it. The first church probably dates from the 6th century, and Emperor Justinian I repaired the saint’s memorial after an earthquake in 529. Over the centuries those floods also filled it with silt. Later, a Russian-funded restoration added a bell tower, but the work was never finished.

Inside, look for floors of colored marble in the Byzantine opus sectile style, and for wall paintings. A side chapel holds the only cycle of frescoes of the life of Saint Nicholas in Turkey. On December 6, his feast day, Orthodox clergy sometimes celebrate the liturgy here.

A damaged marble sarcophagus is thought to be his original resting place. Since 1989, archaeologists from Hacettepe University in Ankara have excavated the church and part of its monastery. The building is on UNESCO’s tentative list, a step toward World Heritage status.

The rock tombs of Myra

North of the town, the Lycians carved their tombs into the cliff in the form of temple fronts. Two groups survive: the sea necropolis beside the theater and, further up the valley, the river necropolis. Travelers once saw some of them still painted red, yellow and blue.

The theater of Myra

Below the tombs, the Roman theater curves into the hillside. An earthquake destroyed it in 141, and the city rebuilt it. Then climb to the upper gallery for a view of the plain and the sea.

Andriake, the harbor of Myra

Andriake was the port of Myra until it, too, silted up. Its great granary, built under Emperor Hadrian, houses the Museum of Lycian Civilizations. Both the harbor site and the museum have been closed to visitors since February 17, 2025, for display and landscaping works; ask us to confirm before you plan a visit. The building has several long rooms side by side. Beside it, a heap of murex shells shows that the harbor once produced purple dye.

Demre, Town of Greenhouses

Demre is a farming town first. Today, its villages grow fruit and vegetables all year in greenhouses, while pomegranates and citrus fill the older orchards.

Eating in Demre

Simple restaurants in Demre serve grilled fish, salads and gözleme, and the local pomegranates are worth trying in season. On the coast toward Kekova and Kaş, you will find more fish restaurants by the water.

How to Visit Myra

Visiting Myra and the Church of St. Nicholas

• Getting there: Demre lies on the coast road between Kaş and Antalya, and our Kaş to Olympos Blue Cruise calls at Demre harbor on its last day.
• Entry: the church and the ancient city of Myra have separate entrances, and we arrange both.
• Hours: both open every day, and we time your visit to them.

Local tips for Myra

• See the rock tombs early, before the midday heat.
• Dress respectfully in the church, since it is still a place of prayer for some visitors.
• Combine Myra with a boat trip at Kekova or a walk on the Lycian Way.
• More rock tombs: see Tlos too, a Lycian bishopric under Myra in Byzantine times.
• Into the mountains: drive up the Elmalı road to Arykanda, a Lycian city of terraces and Roman baths.