Hello everyone! In today's episode we will show you the ancient city of
Myra and St. Nicholas Church. Remember that in another video about the
curiosities of Turkey we were telling you that
Saint Nicholas also known as Santa Claus was born in Turkey in Patara
so this time we have come to this place where the church is
so we will be showing you around and hopefully you will enjoy it.
To go to Demre, Antalya and visit the St. Nicholas Church and the ancient city of
Myra then we took a bus from Kaş main bus
station the single bus ticket was only 11
turkish liras and the timetables can be seen outside
the office.
This is a very short trip from a Kaş
it takes about 40 minutes and it's a great option for a day trip.
Get off the bus at Demre bus station and then
we are ready to start our tour in this city!
Our first stop will be Saint Nicholas Church
since is the closest place.
Santa Claus who is portrayed as a person who brings gifts to
children in red white clothing all over the world
was actually bishop Nicholas who was born in Patara, Turkey
in the late 3rd century and lived there until becoming bishop of Myra today
Demre, Antalya.
Over time he became a saint thanks to what he did.
He was well known for being generous and he mainly protected children,
sailors, travelers, and poor men.
He built a reputation for secret gift
giving to children and all those in need which after
passing away his habit of gift-giving became an
important tradition that can still be seen in the present time.
After his death a monumental tomb and then a church
were built in the name of Saint Nicholas who won the love of the people of Myra
with his good deeds, however during a crusade his
bones were taken to Bari, Italy and nowadays can be seen
in Basilica Di San Nicola.
The church has been renovated over the periods of time
The entrance fee is 50 liras and the museum pass Turkey
is accepted on this site. For more information about the museum cards
and updated entrance costs we'll leave the
official link in the description box.
After the church, we'll go to the ruins of the ancient city of Myra
which are about two kilometers away and it's famous for its
theater and impressive rock tombs.
The entrance fee is 45 liras and also
here the museum pass Turkey is accepted.
To come to this place we need a taxi, unfortunately
many buses aren't coming to this direction the taxis can be taken
directly from the bus station and the round trip had a cost of 40
liras.
The Lycıan Union was formed by 23 cities in the Mediterranean region
in the 1st century bc and Myra was one of the leading cities of this union
which is considered to be the pioneer of today's democracy.
This was one of the most populous and richest cities in the region
and also the place where Saint Nicholas was a bishop
in the 4th century.
The theater dates back to the 2nd century ac
and was built with a donation from one of the richest in the city.
This is the largest theater in Lycia and one of the main attractions of
Myra.
It has 38 rows of seats and it's richly decorated with theatrical masks and
mythological scenes making it a masterpiece.
The most splendid building of Myra is the rock graves
which are dated to 4th century bc 23 graves are inscribed
13 of them are Lycian and 10 are ancient Greek
just a few are temple tombs and one can see steps
carved out the rock that lead to them, however
the entrance is forbidden.
The difference in the type and characteristics of the tombs
provide important information about the social status of the tomb owner.
Being in the place where Saint Nicholas through his good deeds inherited one of
the most special and important traditions of
humanity to the world has been a great and beautiful
experience and we definitely recommend everyone to
have it.
Hopefully you have liked and enjoyed
this video and don't forget that if you want to keep receiving
more tips and recommendations about Turkey and Istanbul from locals
then don't forget to subscribe to our channel see you next time
bye bye!