Bulgarian archaeologists discovered an ampoule containing ashes from the grave of St. John the Apostle on the Foros peninsula near the city of Burgas.

According to the director of the Historical Museum in Burgas, Milen Nikolov, who showed the leaden ampoule on Wednesday, the sacred substance contained inside it was believed to have healing capacities.

It is supposed that the ampoule was brought to the Foros peninsula by a pilgrim, who had been on a pilgrimage to the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (Efes), private bTV station reports.

The find is dated to the 6^th century, when the pilgrimage to the Holy Lands was particularly widespread.

According to legends, every year on May 8, when Orthodox Christians commemorate the death of St. John the Apostle, the healing ashes would rise from his grave.

Apparently, the find was very precious as it was placed in the reliquary chamber of the temple of the lost ancient city.

The ampoule is extremely tiny, measuring only 22 milimetres in length and having a diameter of 17 milimetres.