The church in the heart of Demre rises where Nicholas served as bishop of Myra in the 4th century. The present basilica — Byzantine, rebuilt more than once and long buried under river silt — keeps vivid wall frescoes of the saint's life, opus sectile floors of coloured marble, and the broken sarcophagus in the south aisle from which sailors from Bari carried his relics home in 1087. Pilgrims still gather here each December for the saint's feast.
Highlights
- Wall frescoes of the saint's life and opus sectile floors of coloured marble
- The broken sarcophagus from which sailors of Bari carried the relics in 1087
- The legend of gold dropped through a window that began Christmas gift-giving
- A basilica renewed by Constantine IX and Zoe in 1043, sunk below street level
- December pilgrims still gathering for the saint's feast
At a glance
| Period | Byzantine |
|---|---|
| Stage | 13 — Üçağız to Andriake/Demre |
Take care
- Keep to the walkways — excavated floors are uneven and partly roped off
- Busy in season — watch your step in the crowds
History
A church stood over the bishop's tomb by the 6th century — tradition places a major rebuilding around 520 — and after Arab raiders wrecked the complex in 1034, Emperor Constantine IX and Empress Zoe renewed it in 1043, creating much of the fabric seen today. River floods later sealed the building under metres of silt. A Russian-funded restoration in 1862 added the present vaults and belfry, and systematic Turkish excavation since 1989 has been recovering the monastic buildings around the church.
Myth & legend
St Nicholas is said to have secretly dropped bags of gold through the window of a poor family's house to provide dowries for three daughters, giving rise to the tradition of Christmas gift-giving. He is also the patron saint of sailors, children, and travellers.
Geology
The church stands on the delta plain of the Demre Çayı, the ancient Myros, which built the flat land around Demre from sediment stripped off the steep limestone catchments above. Deposition keeps raising the plain and pushing the shoreline seaward, so a church sited near a Byzantine harbour town now lies well inland, its floors below the level of the modern streets.
Wildlife & nature
Demre stands on the alluvial plain of the Myros, a patchwork of citrus, pomegranate and greenhouse tomatoes edged with plane and oleander. Swallows and swifts nest around the town through the summer, black redstarts and white wagtails work the excavated floors in winter, and Sardinian warblers hold the garden hedges.
The view
Sunk below Demre's streets under its protective canopy, the basilica opens into aisles of banded arches, fragments of fresco and coloured marble floors — an interior of soft, reflected light.
Photography
Interior shots need steady hands in low light — brace against walls rather than using flash on the frescoes; the opus sectile floors and arcaded south aisle reward wide angles; mornings are quietest.
When to visit
Spring and autumn dodge both heat and the peak coach crowds; December draws pilgrims for the saint's feast; summer middays are busy, though the sunken interior stays cooler than the street.
Getting there
In central Demre, a short walk from the town's bus stands; buses and dolmuş along the coast road link Demre with Kaş, Finike and Antalya, and the trail passes through town on the Myra stage.
Where to stay
Demre has straightforward town hotels and pansiyons near the centre; many walkers instead base in Kaş or continue towards Finike along the same coast road.
Food & water
A town-centre site with shops in the surrounding streets — no need to carry beyond a bottle; refill in Demre before heading on to Myra's tombs or the harbour ruins at Andriake.
Safety
Keep to the walkways over the excavated floors — surfaces are uneven and some areas are roped off. The site is busy in season; watch your step in the crowds. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
The church lies well below modern street level, reached by stairs and sloping walkways; inside, the raised walkways over the floors are mostly level but narrow — full step-free access is not documented.
Visitor tips
Come first thing before the tour groups, then walk or ride the short distance to Myra's rock tombs; inside, find the broken sarcophagus in the south aisle linked by tradition to the saint.
Listen: the audio guide
The full narration of this stop's audio guide, in text. The audio itself plays only in the app.
You go down to reach this church, not up, and that is the first thing worth noticing. Steps and sloping walkways drop you below the level of Demre's streets into an interior of banded arches and soft reflected light. Three things are waiting for you down there: a floor of coloured marble worn hollow by pilgrims, walls where the saint's own face still shows through the plaster, and a stone chest with its lid smashed open. This is the church of Nicholas, bishop of Myra.
The building did not sink. The land rose around it. Demre sits on the delta of the Demre Çayı, the ancient Myros, a river that has spent thousands of years stripping sediment off the steep limestone catchments above and spreading it out here. The plain keeps rising, the shoreline keeps moving seaward, and a church that once stood in a busy Byzantine harbour town now finds itself well inland with its floors beneath your feet. River floods eventually sealed the whole building under metres of silt, which is a large part of why so much of it survived. Nicholas served as bishop here in the fourth century. A church stood over his tomb by the sixth, with tradition placing a great rebuilding around 520. Arab raiders wrecked the complex in 1034, and the Emperor Constantine the Ninth and the Empress Zoe renewed it in 1043, and that is most of the fabric standing around you now.
Now, look for four things as you move through the aisles. First, the floor. It is opus sectile, laid in cut pieces of coloured marble, geometric and quietly glowing, and in places it dips where feet that stopped walking here a very long time ago wore it down. Second, the frescoes. Fragments only, on the walls and in the vaults, but they carry scenes from the life of the saint, painted for people who had travelled a long way to look at them. Third, in the south aisle, the broken sarcophagus, a heavy chest with its lid split open and nothing inside. Tradition names it the tomb of Nicholas. And fourth, look up. The vaults and the belfry are the newest things here, added by a Russian-funded restoration in 1862, while Turkish excavation since 1989 has been steadily recovering the monastery buildings around you.
That broken lid has a date on it. In 1087, sailors out of the Italian city of Bari came ashore in this town, went to the tomb, opened it and carried the bones of Nicholas away to Apulia. Whether you call that a rescue or a robbery rather depends on which end of the Mediterranean you are standing at. Demre was left with an empty chest. What Demre was not left with was an empty church. The pilgrimage simply carried on, because people wanted the place where he had actually lived and preached and been buried, and they want it still. Every December, for his feast, they fill these aisles again.
And the story that carried his name everywhere else. It is said that a poor man of the town had three daughters and nothing to dower them with, and that Nicholas came by night and dropped bags of gold through the window so the girls could marry, and told nobody it was him. A thousand years of retelling turned that one open window into every anonymous gift left under every Christmas tree. He is the patron of sailors, of children and of travellers, which makes him fair company for anyone walking a long coastal path.
Outside, the plain is citrus and pomegranate and greenhouse tomatoes, edged with plane and oleander, and swallows work the air above it all summer. You have come in along the coast from Üçağız and Andriake to reach him. Myra's rock tombs and its theatre lie a short walk on from here and make the natural second half of the morning. Go gently on those old floors, and remember that you have to climb to leave. Walk safe.
Common questions
How old is Church of St Nicholas?
Church of St Nicholas dates from the Byzantine period.
How do I get to Church of St Nicholas?
In central Demre, a short walk from the town's bus stands; buses and dolmuş along the coast road link Demre with Kaş, Finike and Antalya, and the trail passes through town on the Myra stage.
Is Church of St Nicholas accessible?
The church lies well below modern street level, reached by stairs and sloping walkways; inside, the raised walkways over the floors are mostly level but narrow — full step-free access is not documented.
When is the best time to visit Church of St Nicholas?
Spring and autumn dodge both heat and the peak coach crowds; December draws pilgrims for the saint's feast; summer middays are busy, though the sunken interior stays cooler than the street.
Is there food and water at Church of St Nicholas?
A town-centre site with shops in the surrounding streets — no need to carry beyond a bottle; refill in Demre before heading on to Myra's tombs or the harbour ruins at Andriake.
Where can I stay near Church of St Nicholas?
Demre has straightforward town hotels and pansiyons near the centre; many walkers instead base in Kaş or continue towards Finike along the same coast road.
What should I know before visiting Church of St Nicholas?
Come first thing before the tour groups, then walk or ride the short distance to Myra's rock tombs; inside, find the broken sarcophagus in the south aisle linked by tradition to the saint.
Is Church of St Nicholas safe to visit?
Keep to the walkways over the excavated floors — surfaces are uneven and some areas are roped off. The site is busy in season; watch your step in the crowds. In an emergency dial 112.
Nearby on the route
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