A 1,500-year-old church from the time of the Byzantine Empire has been uncovered in Israel, archaeologists say.

In an excavation largely completed by teens, a church dating back to 543 AD during the time of Emperor Justinian has been discovered near the Ramat Beit Shemesh neighborhood, reports CBN News.

After three years of detailed digging, archaeologists have come across mosaics, pillars, still-intact crypts, and frescoes that at one time came together to form a beautiful church. According to an inscription found in what would have been the church's courtyard, the church was dedicated to a "glorious martyr."

Another inscription found indicated that the building was completed thanks to the financial support of Emperor Tiberius II Constantine.

Benjamin Storchan directed the excavation on behalf of the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) and says several written sources suggest churches in Israel received royal funding, but few pieces of archaeological evidence have been found explicitly noting that fact. The inscription found at the church in Beit Shemesh is unique for this reason.

"Imperial involvement in the building's expansion is also evoked by the image of a large eagle with outspread wings – the symbol of the Byzantine Empire – which appears in one of the mosaics," says Storchan.

While the martyr for which the church was built remains unknown, Storchan says it is likely that it was a person of distinction.

"The exceptional opulence of the structure and its inscriptions indicate that this person was an important figure," he says.

Also exciting to the team was the discovery of crypts underneath the church that remained fully intact.

"Only a few churches in Israel have been discovered with fully intact crypts," says Storchan. He explains the crypt was an underground burial chamber that they believe held the relics of the unknown martyr. Thousands of objects were uncovered in the dig, including a baptismal font.

The IAA has been excavating the site with the help of Bible Lands Museum. Thousands of teenagers were able to take part in the project as a means of discovering history through the practice of archeology.