Austrian archaeologists have disclosed information about a ‘sensational’ discovery at one of Christianity’s most revered sites.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also referred to as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century establishment situated in the Old City of Jerusalem.
This site holds immense significance as Christians believe it is where Jesus was buried and subsequently resurrected.
Recently, experts have been drawn to the church following the news that construction workers were astonished upon uncovering a seemingly insignificant piece of marble.
The marble slab, located in a publicly accessible corridor near the rear of the building, measures eight feet long and five feet wide.
On the side visible to the public, the marble was marked with graffiti.
However, upon flipping the stone, observers noticed it was adorned with ribbon ornaments and distinctive markings.
Further examination revealed that these unique decorations were crafted using a special technique known as ‘Cosmatesque’.
This art form, once practiced by guild masters in papal Rome, involved covering large surfaces with smaller amounts of precious marble.
Archaeologists have now identified this slab as the front panel of an altar consecrated in 1149.
Previously, historians believed that the largest-known medieval altar used by Crusaders in the Middle Ages had been destroyed in a fire in 1808, and thus lost for many years.
“For historians, this find is a sensation in several respects,” wrote the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW).
While fascinated by the discovery, researchers also pondered how such an important slab had ‘remained hidden for so long in such an intensively researched building as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’.
Commenting on the altar’s significance, Ilya Berkovich, a historian at the Institute for Habsburg and Balkan Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, said: “We know of pilgrim accounts from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries about a magnificent marble altar in Jerusalem.
“In 1808, there was a major fire in the Romanesque part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” said Berkovich. “Since then, the Crusaders’ altar was lost – at least that’s what people thought for a long time.”
This discovery, described as ‘sensational’ by the OeAW, is believed to have been created with the Pope’s approval.
They further note that it was commissioned to honor Christianity’s holiest church, as Cosmatesque art was a cherished status symbol.
“The Pope thus paid tribute to the holiest church in Christianity,” Berkovich said.
Following this recent discovery, Berkovich and his team aim to conduct further research and delve into the papal archives to uncover more details about the stone.
They also aspire to identify the Cosmatesque master who crafted the artwork.