Researchers open Tomb of Christ

Researchers have uncovered the original surface of the tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The tomb's surface had been covered by a thick layer of marble, according to an exclusive by National Geographic. This has now been removed to reveal the tomb for the first time since at least 1555 CE, and possibly much earlier.

"The marble covering of the tomb has been pulled back, and we were surprised by the amount of fill material beneath it. It will be a long scientific analysis, but we will finally be able to see the original rock surface on which, according to tradition, the body of Christ was laid," the archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society working at the site, Fredrik Hiebert, said.

The shelf on which the body of Christ is said to have rested after his crucifixion is now protected by a structure called an Edicule. This covering is being restored by a team of scientists directed by Antonia Moropoulou of the National Technical University of Athens, a specialist in building materials and the preservation of monuments, the International Business Times reports.