With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Remains of John the Baptist found in Bulgaria

Bulgarian media has reported that the excavations at St Ivan island off the Bulgarian coast have unearthed relics belonging to Saint John the Baptist. The discoveries were announced on August 1 2010 following the excavation on the island near the seaside town of Sozopol.

Last week it was reported that excavations on St Ivan island, the largest of five Bulgarian islands in the Black Sea, discovered artefacts and exquisite marble reliquary incorporated into the church’s altar, the historian Bozhidar Dimitrov, director of the National History Museum and minister without portfolio in charge of Bulgarians abroad, told Focus news agency.

It was subsequently revealed that the archaeologists found an exquisite reliquary – a relic urn – built in the altar of an ancient church bearing the name of St. John the Baptist. The urn, which was opened on August 1, contained small bones from the arm and leg of the saint, the archaeologists told Bulgarian media.

The reliquary was shaped as a sarcophagus and was discovered by the team of Prof. Kazimir Popkonstantinov. He said that it was very likely for the reliquary to contain relics of John the Baptist....
Read entire article at The Sofia Echo