Archaeologists from Turkey believe that they have found a piece of the cross of Jesus Christ.

The archaeologists have been excavating an ancient 1,350-year-old church for four years in the country, and discovered a stone chest which contained a number of relics believed to be associated with the crucifixion of Jesus.

Professor Gülgün Köroğlu definitively stated, who headed the excavation, stated: " 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."

Christian Post reports that there is no reason as to why Köroğlu believes that the piece of wood found in the site is related to Jesus Christ's crucifixion.

The ancient Balatlar Church is located in Sinop, Turkey, on the shores of the Black Sea.

After the recent discovery, the stone chest has been taken to labs for authentication testing. A stone with a cross carved into it was also found at the site. The team believe that the appearance of the chest suggests that it was a repository for the relics of a holy person.

Theologian John Calvin had once referred to the relics of the cross being found, saying that "if all the pieces that could be found were collected together, they would make a big ship-load."

Balatlar Church was built in 660 and in addition to the stone chest being found, the ruins of an ancient Roman bath were found, including over 1,000 human skeletons since 2009.