See what was found in Jesus Christ's tomb after opening it for the first time in 500 years

For decades debate has raged over whether the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem really is the site of the most famous miracle of all.

The shrine is supposed to contain the tomb where Jesus Christ ’s body lay for three days after his crucifixion.

The tomb has been sealed in marble since at least 1555 – and possibly centuries longer – to protect it from pilgrims who kept stealing pieces as holy relics.

But over the preceding centuries the churchhad been destroyed and rebuilt so many times there were doubts about what it contained.

Now the tomb’s marble lid has been removed for the first time in five centuries – revealing a miraculous discovery.

There, unseen for half a millennium, was the limestone shelf where Christ’s body is thought to have been placed.

The researchers also discovered a second grey marble slab no one knew existed, engraved with a cross they believe was carved in the 12th century by the Crusaders.