Archaeologists have discovered in the Milev Monastery in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic part of a metal nail, presumably a nail from a cross, on which they crucified Jesus Christ . An ancient relic was found in a niche in the wall of the monastery, reports the iDNEZ edition.
Experts have carried out three-dimensional modeling of the Church of St. Elijah, using data from archaeological research and scanning. It turned out that the three-meter niche in the nave of the church is the entrance to a secret corridor six meters long. As the cavers found out, the corridor leads to a room 2.2×2.5×1.25 meters, where the remains of animals and humans were located.
Scientists have discovered in the wall of the room a small cavity with the remains of a wooden box, decorated with gold and silver. The plate, which was originally on the lid of the box, was engraved with a cross and the letters IR, meaning Iesus Rex (King Jesus). Typically, these letters represent Christian relics. Inside what was left of the box was a piece of a nail with a curved gold cross.
According to experts, the find indicates that those who hid it in a secret room were sure that it was a relic of the Passion of Christ, that is, artifacts directly related to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. According to radiocarbon analysis, parts of oak date from 260-416 AD, and larch wood – 1290-1394.
The Romanesque Church of St. Elijah was built in the last third of the twelfth century and was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the fifteenth century.