Fragment of 9th-century church discovered in Bosnia and Herzegovina

A group of archaeologists made a wonderful discovery near Ravno in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, confirming the presence of Christianity in the area in ancient times.

On Wednesday, October 21, a stone relief plate from the altar partition of a 9th-century church was discovered in the village of Zavala, according to archaeologist Snježana Vasilj from the University of Mostar.

The discovery was made in the final phase of the work on the archaeological site at the village Church of St. Peter. The remains of three churches were found at the site, with the oldest of them, where the relief plate was found, dating to the 9th century, making it the oldest known church in the country. It was built in the form of a shamrock, making it unique in Bosnia and Herzegovina; there are only two such churches in Croatia.

In addition to the buildings, numerous tombs have been explored on the site. The new discovery was found underneath one of the tombstones.

“This is the crown of my research work. We fond a relief plate from the altar partition that is associated with the time of the construction of the oldest church of the pre-Romanesque period,” Vasilj said.

The slab is richly decorated with Christian symbols, with a bird holding a bunch of grapes and a chalice carved on it.

Source:  Оrthochristian.com