Archaeologists working in the Milevsko monastery in South Bohemia say they have discovered part of a nail that allegedly comes from the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The find is one of the rarest Christian relics, comparable to the reliquary of St. Maurus in its significance and rarity.

The discovery of the priceless Christian relic was preceded by the unearthing of a secret passage hidden behind a massive medieval wall of the monastery. Archaeologists believe it served as a treasury room for valuables concealed from raids by Hussite troops in the early 15th century.

This was confirmed by the discovery of fragments of precious metals in the crevices on the floor. But the biggest treasure, a six-inch-long piece of nail with a cross made of twenty-one-carat gold, was hidden some six centimetres below the ground level.

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