A UK-based amateur archaeologist claims to have found the Holy Grail of archaeological discoveries hiding in a secret crypt in a West London river: The Holy Grail, the UK daily The Sun reported.
The legendary Christian relic is supposedly the goblet used by Jesus Christ himself during the Last Supper, and was supposedly used by Joseph of Aramethia to collect his blood at the crucifixion.
Relic-hunters have been searching for it for over 2,000 years, and it has easily become the most famous of all Christian relics, occupying a place in popular culture unequaled by any other legendary treasure. It has even found its way into modern parlance as a way to refer to an object or goal that is widely sought after for its significance, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
But despite the Last Supper having taken place in Roman-occupied Jerusalem, 40-year-old amateur archaeologist and longtime enthusiast of grail lore Barrie-Jon Bower believes that the grail in fact lies buried in a secret crypt beneath a river in the West London suburb of Hounslow, The Sun reported.
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The reason for his hypothesis has to do with the links between the grail and the infamous Knights Templar, a legendary knightly order that fought in the Crusades and are often linked to numerous theories of long-lost hidden treasures and Christian relics.
The Templars were certainly a real order, and had presences in locations throughout Christendom. Bower, however, claims this included Hounslow, where some of them trained and hid relics looted from the Crusades in a secret crypt.
Read more: jpost
