<p class="title">Ancient bones said to belong to St Nicholas, the fourth-century saint who inspired the legend of Santa Claus, may indeed be from the Father Christmas himself, Oxford scientists have found.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The remains of St Nicholas, one of the most revered Orthodox Christian saints, have been held in the Basilica di San Nicola church in Bari, Italy since 1087 AD.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the years relic fragments have been acquired by various churches around the world, calling into question how the bones can all be from the same person.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Using a micro-sample of bone fragment, Professor Tom Higham and Georges Kazan, from Oxford University in the UK, have for the first time tested one of these bones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The radio carbon dating results pinpoint the relic's age to the fourth century AD - the time that some historians believe that St Nicholas died (around 343 AD).</p>.<p class="bodytext">The results suggest that the bones could in principle be authentic and belong to the saint, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Many relics that we study turn out to date to a period somewhat later than the historic attestation would suggest," said Higham.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This bone fragment, in contrast, suggests that we could possibly be looking at remains from St Nicholas himself," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">St Nicholas is thought to have lived in Myra, Asia Minor, which is now modern day Turkey.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to legend, he was a wealthy man who was widely known for his generosity, a trait that inspired the legend of Father Christmas as a bringer of gifts on Christmas Day.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Believed to have been persecuted by the Emperor Diocletian, the saint died in Myra, where his remains became a focus of Christian devotion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His remains are said to have been taken away by a group of Italian merchants and transported to Bari, where the bulk of them sit to this day in the Basilica di San Nicola.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The bone analysed is owned by Father Dennis O'Neill, of St Martha of Bethany Church, Shrine of All Saints in Morton Grove Illinois, US, the researchers said. </p>
<p class="title">Ancient bones said to belong to St Nicholas, the fourth-century saint who inspired the legend of Santa Claus, may indeed be from the Father Christmas himself, Oxford scientists have found.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The remains of St Nicholas, one of the most revered Orthodox Christian saints, have been held in the Basilica di San Nicola church in Bari, Italy since 1087 AD.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the years relic fragments have been acquired by various churches around the world, calling into question how the bones can all be from the same person.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Using a micro-sample of bone fragment, Professor Tom Higham and Georges Kazan, from Oxford University in the UK, have for the first time tested one of these bones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The radio carbon dating results pinpoint the relic's age to the fourth century AD - the time that some historians believe that St Nicholas died (around 343 AD).</p>.<p class="bodytext">The results suggest that the bones could in principle be authentic and belong to the saint, researchers said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Many relics that we study turn out to date to a period somewhat later than the historic attestation would suggest," said Higham.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This bone fragment, in contrast, suggests that we could possibly be looking at remains from St Nicholas himself," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">St Nicholas is thought to have lived in Myra, Asia Minor, which is now modern day Turkey.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to legend, he was a wealthy man who was widely known for his generosity, a trait that inspired the legend of Father Christmas as a bringer of gifts on Christmas Day.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Believed to have been persecuted by the Emperor Diocletian, the saint died in Myra, where his remains became a focus of Christian devotion.</p>.<p class="bodytext">His remains are said to have been taken away by a group of Italian merchants and transported to Bari, where the bulk of them sit to this day in the Basilica di San Nicola.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The bone analysed is owned by Father Dennis O'Neill, of St Martha of Bethany Church, Shrine of All Saints in Morton Grove Illinois, US, the researchers said. </p>