Archaeologists in Istanbul have recently uncovered underground rooms and a tunnel while excavating the site of an early Christian church.
As per the Mirror, dating back approximately 1,500 years, the rooms were discovered beneath the Church of St.Polyeuctus in what was then Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
The church was built during a time when Christianity was the empire’s official religion.
The discovered room includes two large chambers linked by a tunnel that seems to have been connected with the chamber next to the altar room where bread and wine were prepared for Holy Communion.
During the Byzantine Empire, this ritual was part of the Divine Liturgy, which is still practiced in Eastern Orthodox churches today.
Archaeologists have found that the interiors of the chambers are still adorned with mosaics, stone inlays and carved marble blocks.
The church was built between 524 and 527 A.D, but was later covered over by the Ottoman Empire’s rule in the city.
It was also among the first in the city to feature an early stone-dome-like roof. It was abandoned after sustaining damage from an earthquake in the 11th century.
Despite being destroyed by many earthquakes, much of its structure still survives, leading archaeologists to believe that Byzantine buildings were designed to endure such disasters.
