Archeologists claim to have found ‘piece of Jesus' cross’ at church excavations in Turkey

SİNOP - Anadolu Agency

A number of human skeletons were unearthed during the excavations. DHA photo

Archaeologists conducting excavations at the Balatlar Church in the Black Sea province of Sinop have unearthed a stone chest with objects said to have a connection with Jesus Christ.

“We have found a holy thing in a chest. It is a piece of a cross, and we think it was [part of the cross on which Jesus was crucified]. This stone chest is very important to us. It has a history and is the most important artifact we have unearthed so far,” said the head of the excavations, Professor Gülgün Köroğlu.

“During the excavations, we have seen many things that we didn’t know about before. Sinop has gained a very good ancient site that we will show visitors,” Köroğlu said, adding that they had discovered the skeletons of over 1,000 people during the four years of excavations.

The works are continuing as part of an EU-funded Field Management Project, she said.