Bulgarian archaeologists excavating an ancient monastery claim to have found the remains of John the Baptist.

The alleged remains were found in at St. Ivan Island near the town of Sozopol.

Bulgarian media reported that fragments of a human skull, hand and tooth were found inside the relic urn built in the altar of an ancient church dedicated to John the Baptist.

Bozhidar Dimitrov, former director of the country's National History Museum, said the relics might have been donated by the Christian Church in Constantinople when the country was part of the Byzantine Empire.

Tests are being done on the bones to shed more light on who they may belong to.

Bulgaria's culture minister, Vezhdi Rashidov, cautioned against jumping to conclusions before the find's validity had been confirmed.

"Hold off before making 'emotional statements' about the identity of the bones," he said.

The team that first discovered the relics remains positive that the relics belong to John the Baptist.

Leader of the team, Prof Kazimir Popkonstantinov, told CNN that there was a Greek inscription on the reliquary referring to June 24, the date when Christians celebrate John the Baptist’s birth.

Popkonstantinov opened the reliquary on August 1 in a ceremony in Sozopol that was attended by several dignitaries including the Bishop of Sliven.