Myra

Myra was one of the principal cities of Lycia, a province on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), situated approximately two and a half miles inland from the harbor town of Andriake. It played an important role in Paul's final journey to Rome as a prisoner: after sailing from Caesarea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, the centurion Julius found an Alexandrian grain ship at Myra bound for Italy and transferred Paul and the other prisoners to it (Acts 27:5–6). This Alexandrian grain ship, likely part of the imperial grain fleet that supplied Rome from Egypt, subsequently encountered the great storm that wrecked the vessel at Malta (Acts 27:14–44). Myra later became an important Christian center: Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra, is the historical figure behind the tradition of Saint Nicholas. The city's ruins, including an impressive Lycian rock-cut theater and necropolis, are visible near the modern Turkish town of Demre.