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A British archaelogist believes a crypt hidden under an  could have been the one-time home of Jesus Christ.

Professor Ken Dark, from the University of Reading has spent 14 years studying a 1st century dwelling that lies beneath a .

He now believes there is "strong evidence" to suggest the crypt could have been the one-time home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.



"We know from written evidence this church was believed in the Byzantine period to have been built on the site of Jesus' home and the dwelling preserved in its crypt," he said, according to the BBC.

"It's almost certainly the Church of the Nutrition, which was dedicated to the upbringing of Christ, and mentioned in a 7th Century pilgrim's account."

During the 19th century, some believed it the crypt to be the home of Jesus until archaeolgists rejected the idea in the 1930s.

Professor Dark began to study the site in 2016 and came to the conclusion that although there is no definite proof that this was his home it "is about as close as we will probably ever get to being able to say it was".

He said the dwelling was carved out of a mountainside, likely by a skilled craftsperson, or tekton, as Joseph of Nazareth is described in the Bible.

"We know from written evidence this church was believed in the Byzantine period to have been built on the site of Jesus' home and the dwelling preserved in its crypt," said the professor.

"It's almost certainly the Church of the Nutrition, which was dedicated to the upbringing of Christ, and mentioned in a 7th Century pilgrim's account."