ISIS invaded Manbij in 2014. During this time, Abdulwahab Sheko, head of the Exploration Committee at the Ruins Council in Manbij, was studying the area. In an interview with Fox News, Sheko noted that the site was lucky to have escaped the group's attention. He kept quiet about the ruins until 2016, when ISIS was driven out by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

During their two-year occupation of the area, ISIS forces failed to notice the tip of an old gate on an empty mound of land where they dumped garbage. But Sheko explained that the gate, which ran several feet into the ground down, leads straight to the old Christian ruins. (Image: Fox News Video screengrab/via Faithwire)

"I was so excited, I can't describe it. I was holding everything in my hands," Sheko said of the discovery.

Several crosses etched into columns and walls, and writings carved into stone indicate that the underground ruin was a special place where persecuted Christians under the Roman Empire congregated.

"This place is so special. Here is where I think the security guard would stand at the gate watching for any movement outside," Sheko explained as he led reporters through the "first location" of the site. "He could warn the others to exit through the other passage if they needed to flee." (Image: Fox News Video screengrab/via Faithwire)

American archaeologist John Wineland told Fox that the discovery of this "secret church" could be crucial to understanding the lives of Christians under Roman rule...

Click here to continue reading, and scroll down after clicking to watch the Fox News video tour of the archaeological dig.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Good News: TPUSA High School Clubs More Than Double, Hit 2,700 Nationwide

Atheist Bill Maher Condemns Media Silence on Christian Genocide in Nigeria: 'Systematic Killing'

'We Found Him': The Alleged Smoke Bomber Who Disrupted a Sean Feucht Worship Event; His Shocking Links to Antifa Inside Canada's Military

As Deadly Violence against Houses of Worship Rises, So Do Law Enforcement, Security Measures

Portland Police Arrest Conservative Journalist Nick Sortor Outside ICE Facility, 'But None of the Domestic Terrorists'

Apple Takes Down ICE Tracking Apps After Pressure from Bondi DOJ

Kash Patel's FBI Cuts All Ties to Southern Poverty Law Center

The President Is Already Using the Shutdown to Slash Federal Spending, Plans to Make Job Cuts

Israeli Leaders React to Terror Attack on UK Synagogue as Navy Intercepts Pro-Hamas Flotilla

President Trump Sets Sunday Deadline for Hamas to Accept Deal or Face 'ALL HELL'

Hamas Says It Will Release All Remaining Hostages, But...

'Blown Away': Hundreds Saved and Baptized as 8,000 Students Seek Jesus at University of Tennessee

Concerned Citizens Checked Their 'Conservative' Town High School Library for These Obscene Books Available to Students; Here's What Happened

DOJ Investigates Major School District Over DEI Programs

RFK Jr. Directs FDA to Study the Safety of Abortion Pills

Planned Parenthood Closes Houston Abortion Facility That Was Biggest in America

Democrat Prosecutor Sued after Dropping Charges against Woman Who Violently Assaulted Pro-Lifer

Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Final Order of Removal Stands as Judge Denies Motion to Reopen His Case

Gov't Shutdown Continues: White House Releases New Memo Exposing Dems' Demand for Nearly $200 B in Taxpayer-Funded Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants

Watch: Faith Revival Follows Charlie Kirk's Death As More People Attend Church and Read the Bible; 'This Is Bigger Than Charlie Kirk'