Myra and St Nicholas Church (Demre)

Santa Claus has a real ancestor, and he was a bishop on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. In the 4th century Nicholas led the Christian community of Myra, and over many centuries the tales about the gifts he left the poor in secret slowly became Father Christmas. You can still visit his church in Demre, on the spot where he was originally buried. Two kilometres off, in ancient Myra, Lycian tombs cut into a cliff look like temple fronts.

Key details at a glance

Both sites open daily (as of October 2026). From Antalya, Demre lies roughly 140 km to the south-west, about 2.5 hours away by road.

History

Myra ranked among the main cities of the Lycian League, an alliance of cities along this coast. From roughly the 4th century BC onward, wealthy local families carved tombs into the cliff over the town, shaping them like temples and timber houses. Myra prospered further under Roman rule, and a big theatre went up at the base of the cliff.

Born in nearby Patara, Nicholas became bishop of Myra early in the 4th century. He was buried here when he died, and pilgrims began to visit his tomb. Sailors from the Italian city of Bari came in 1087, removed most of his relics and took them back to Bari, where they still are.

The church you see has been rebuilt several times since the Byzantine period. Later, river silt buried it, which helped protect it. The Russian imperial family funded repairs in the 19th century, including the vaults that still roof parts of the church.

Myra's sights

• The sea necropolis. Rock tombs cover this cliff, some with carved roofs, columns and reliefs. You view them from the paths below, because climbing is forbidden.
• The river necropolis. Another cluster of tombs on a different slope, a short walk to the east, with fewer people.
• The theatre. A big Roman theatre, with carved theatre masks on fallen blocks near the stage.

Highlights in the church

• The frescoes. Saints, bishops and scenes of Christ's life on the walls and vaults, faded but still legible in places.
• The sarcophagus. In a side aisle stands a marble tomb that tradition identifies as the one the relics were removed from.
• The floors. Byzantine floors of patterned stone and marble.
• The synthronon. Tiered clergy seats curving around the apse.

Myra first, or the church?

With your own car, be at Myra by 08:00, when shade still covers the cliff and the coaches have yet to come. Then cover the two kilometres to the church in Demre; it has a roof and stays comfortable later in the day. Tours tend to go the other way round, so an early start on your own lets you see both when they are quietest.

When to go

Spring and autumn suit best. Summer at Myra is very hot and there is almost no shade, while the roofed church is pleasant in any season. On 6 December, St Nicholas's feast day, Orthodox clergy often celebrate a service here and pilgrims fill the town.

Most of our guests combine the church and Myra with a boat ride over the sunken ruins of Kekova on one day trip. Our Demre, Myra and Kekova day tour from Antalya with lunch covers the three in eight hours; prices start at US$120. The private version of the Kekova and Myra tour follows the same route with a guide just for your group, from US$140. Myra and the church also appear on our three-day private Antalya trip, along with other sights.

Practical advice

• See Myra first thing, ahead of the heat and the coaches, and the church afterwards.
• A few kilometres away, the old harbour of Andriake has a good museum about Lycian trade.
• Demre is known for greenhouses; the entire valley grows peppers and tomatoes.
• More of the region is covered in our Antalya travel guide.

Questions visitors ask