'Incredible' archaeology discovery as tunnels where Jesus turned water into wine found

After centuries of debate the place where, according the Bible, Jesus Christ turned water into wine may finally have been found. According to the Gospel of John, the miracle - the first attributed to Jesus - took place at a wedding in Cana, in Galilee.

According to the story Jesus' mother Mary - who attended the wedding along with her son and his disciples - discovered the wine had run out. It is then that Jesus turns water into wine, demonstrating his divine power.

The location of the apparent miracle has remained a mystery for two millennia but now archeologists believe they may have cracked the case.

Excavations at the former site of Khirbet Qana - a Jewish village between the years of 323 BC and 324 AD - unearthed a number of compelling clues, the reported.

Archaeologists discovered a network of tunnels used for Christian worship, marked with crosses and references to 'Kyrie Iesou', a Greek phrase meaning Lord Jesus.

Items including an altar and a shelf with the remains of a stone vessel, suggesting weddings could have been carried out at the site. According to the Gospel story, the wine was held in six stone jars similar to that found at Khirbet Qana.

Dr Tom McCollough, who oversaw excavations at the site, in modern-day Israel, said there were three other sites with a credible claim to being the site of the miracle. "But none has the ensemble of evidence that makes such a persuasive case for Khirbet Qana," he said.

"We have uncovered a large Christian veneration cave complex that was used by Christian pilgrims who came to venerate the water-to-wine miracle. This complex was used beginning in the late fifth or early sixth century and continued to be used by pilgrims into the 12th-century Crusader period.

"The pilgrim texts we have from this period that describe what pilgrims did and saw when they came to Cana of Galilee match very closely what we have exposed as the veneration complex."

As part of his evidence Dr McCollough points to the work of the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, which he said "align logically" with the description of the site. It has long been claimed that the miracle happened in the Arab town of Kafr Kanna - but Dr McCollough said he is not convinced.

"When tourists visiting Israel today are taken to Cana, they are taken to Kafr Kanna," he said. "However, this site was not recognised as a pilgrimage site for those seeking Cana until the 1700s. At this point the Franciscans were managing Christian pilgrimage and facilitating easy passage rather than historical accuracy."

Dr McCollough added he believes the discoveries at Khirbet Qana could even support the case for the historical authenticity of the Gospel of John.

He said: "Our excavations have shown that this was in fact a thriving Jewish village located in the heart of much of Jesus' life and ministry. For the Gospel of John, Cana is in some ways, Jesus' safe place or operational centre.

"It is a place he and his disciples return to when they encounter resistance in Judea. I would argue our excavations warrant at least a reconsideration of the historical value of John's references to Cana and Jesus."