Tomb of Jesus' Apostle St Philip unearthed in Turkey

London, August 4 (ANI): A tomb thought to be that of Saint Philip, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, has been discovered in southwestern Turkey.

Francesco D'Andria, director of the Institute of Archaeological Heritage, Monuments and Sites at Italy's National Research Council in Lecce, found the burial after intensive geophysical research at the World Heritage Site of Hierapolis, now called Pamukkale.

"It was believed that the tomb of St. Philip was on Martyrs' Hill, but we found no traces of him in that area," D'Andria told Discovery News. "The tomb emerged as we excavated a fifth century church 40 meters away from the church dedicated to the saint on Martyrs' Hill."

According to D'Andria, the grave was moved from its previous location in the St. Philip Church to the new church in the Bizantine era.

Apart from his inclusion in the list of the twelve apostles, much information comes from the Gospel of John, where he is described as one of the first followers of Jesus.

The gospel mentions him in connection with the miraculous feeding of the five thousand and with Jesus' discourse at the Last Supper.

Philip reportedly came to Hierapolis to preach Christianity before being executed by the Romans in 80 AD.

He was allegedly hung on a tree upside down with irons in his heels and ankles. (ANI)