Syrian archeologists have reportedly found remnants of an ancient Christian church in a territory where ISIS formerly lived. According to a report, the walls of the church have etched on the walls that are crosses and other Christian symbols, including Greek inscriptions.
The said site has been used to dump trash for years now. Archeologists estimated the remnants dated back to the first centuries of Christianity's existence during the Roman Empire.
Abdulwahab Sheko of the Exploration Committee at the Ruins Council initiated the dig to the said secret church. The ruins connected to few narrow tunnels which could be used as passageways by the worshippers. There are also large stones that worked as hidden doors leading to the altar.
"This place is so special," Sheko told Fox News. "Here is where I think the security guard would stand at the gate watching for any movement outside. He could warn the others to exit through the other passage if they needed to flee."
Report stated that the excavation team knew the existence of the site as early as 2014 but the digging started on August 2017 as ISIS controlled the area for two years until they were driven out from the site in 2017.
Locals also helped the archeologists through the tunnel system when the digging began. They assumed that the site have been destroyed if the ISIS had found out about the Christian remnants.
Experts from U.S. said that the discovery is confirming the existence of secret churches after the death of Jesus Christ.
"[It showed] the persecution by the Roman government, which was common in the period," John Wineland, an archeology professor from Southeastern University, said. "[The ruins] indicate that there was a significant Christian population in the area which felt they needed to hide their activities."
