Archaeologists digging around an ancient church in Turkey say they’ve made a startling discovery and unearthed a piece of the cross that was used to crucify Jesus.
The diggers found a stone chest this week and inside were several relics believed to be tied to the crucifixion. Among them was a piece of the actual cross upon which Jesus was nailed, one historian with Turkey’s Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts said in the Hurriyet Daily News.
“We have found a holy thing in a chest. It is a piece of a cross,” and it’s believed to be from the cross of Jesus, she said in the news outlet.
The church is 1,350 years old. The chest has been sent to the lab for tests, NBC reported.
Researchers don’t know who owned the chest, but theorize it was a high-ranking religious official. They also say this religious person probably believed the cross piece placed in the chest was genuine.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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