the real face of Santa Claus? Presenting St Nicholas, the inspiration for Father Christmas

By: Unknown on 08:55

The original St Nick had a reputation for secret gift-giving - now academics have depicted the face of a middle-aged man with a long grey beard and round head

Blast form the past: According to LJMU this is the face of Saint Nicholas

Is this the real face of Christmas?
Many people know and love the jolly and rosy-cheeked Santa Claus on the front of many festive greetings cards - but academics beg to differ.
Using state of the art technology, they have created a facial depiction of the original Saint Nicholas - the inspiration for Father Christmas.
The long beard is there - but it has been replaced with a murky grey fuzz.
And perhaps Santa is always pictured wearing a bobble hat to protect his shiny bald head from the winter cold
Living in the 4th century, 'Saint Nick' was a Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra (Demre, part of modern-day Turkey) in Lycia.

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He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and so he became the model for Santa Claus.
In 1087, his relics of St Nicholas were transported to Bari, in Italy, where they are still housed in Bari Cathedral and his feast day is December 6.
Now academics at Liverpool John Moores University have created a new facial depiction of the man who inspired Santa Claus using the latest 3D interactive technology and facial reconstruction.
Using Turkish tissue depth data and CGI techniques, Professors Caroline Wilkinson and Mark Roughley depicted the face of a middle-aged man with a long grey beard, round head and square jaw.
St Nicholas also had a severely broken nose, which had healed asymmetrically, giving him a characteristic rugged facial appearance.

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Professor Wilkinson commented: "This is the most realistic appearance of St Nicholas based on all the skeletal and historical material.
"It is thrilling for us to be able to see the face of this famous 4th century Bishop.”
The face of St Nicholas was revealed at St Nicholas Catholic Primary School, which sits alongside the John Lennon Building, home to LJMU's School of Art and Design.
Prof Wilkinson added: “It was important to us to involve the local children in the reveal of the latest depiction of the face of St Nicholas and I hope that they will think of his face every year on St Nicholas's feast day.