Archaeologists in Bulgaria believe that they’ve discovered something incredible. During a dig at the site of a 5thCentury monastery, a team of archaeologists and church historians lead by Kazimir Popkonstantinov believe they’ve discovered a long-forgotten relic that contains remains from the body of John the Baptist, including a skull fragment, tooth, and bits of bones from the hand. The discovery was made on Sveti Ivan, an island in the Black Sea.
Sveti Ivan is Bulgarian for St. John, and a later monastery on the island was dedicated to John the Baptist in the 11th Century. The uncovered reliquary, made from alabaster, was marked with the date of June 24. That’s significant because that’s when Christians celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, which is just another piece of evidence that leads researchers to believe that this is somehow related to the man who baptized Jesus Christ. This is the first reliquary to be uncovered in the region, believed to have been donated to the church by the Byzantine Empire during the time in which Byzantium ruled over the area.
Above is one of the many relics claiming to be the remainder of the head of John the Baptist.
Tags: John the Baptist, Sveti Ivan, Bulgaria, John the Baptist’s remains discovered, Biblical remains, Kazimir Popkonstantinov, reliquary, June 24, religious relics, unusual relics, archaeology
