- [Announcer] The 1500 year old church

is about 28 miles from Jerusalem.

Archeologists found itduring a salvage excavation

before expanding the communityof Ramat Beit Shemesh.

Israel Antiquities AuthorityExcavation Director

Benyamin Storchan explains.

- We've been uncovering amazing remains

of a Byzantine church complex.

The church covers an areaof one and a half dunams.

It includes typical Byzantinearchitectural elements,

a basilical church, anarthex, courtyard or atrium

with subsidiary side rooms.

- [Announcer] Storchansays early Christians built

the huge church in the sixth century A.D.

during the reign of the Emperor Justinian

and later expanded it.

They decorated the churchwith spectacular mosaics,

frescoes, and Greek inscriptions.

- This church by far, surpassesmost of them by its size,

its preservation, and itsassociation to a martyr.

- [Announcer] An inscriptionsays the Christians

dedicated the church to a glorious martyr.

The identity of the martyr is unknown.

But due to the grandeur of the church,

archeologists say the martyrwas likely an important person.

- We've now descended intothe subterranean crypt

located below the bema of the church.

- [Announcer] A separateentrance and exit allowed groups

of pilgrims to pass by the crypt easily.

- This is the reliquary niche.

You have to reconstruct herethat there would have been

a marble chancel screen tomark off the sanctified area

from the assembly hall.

And here would have been placed the relics

that were kept in the church.

- [Announcer] Some 5000youth from around Israel

excavated the site.

- It's super fun.

I really like working with my hands.

And when we come like we come here,

the whole group, we really get to bond.

We get to see stuff that wewouldn't get a chance to see

if weren't for here.

- While excavating here,

we found something like 300 clay oil lamps

that are dated to the Abbasid Period.

- [Announcer] Artifacts fromthe excavation are on display

at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem.

Julie Stahl, CBN News, Jerusalem.