An archaeologist is claiming the Holy Grail is located beneath a 6th century church in Rome.

The ancient cup is said to have been used by Christ at the Last Supper. It has been the focus of many myths and legends for centuries, and some even believe it’s final resting place could be on Oak Island, Nova Scotia.  

For now however, the hunt takes us to Italy where Alfredo Barbagallo, an Italian archaeologist, is claiming it is buried in a chapel-like room underneath the Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura, one of the seven churches which Christian pilgrims used to visit when they came to Rome.

It was the two years that Mr Barbagallo spent studying mediaeval iconography which led him to this area. In particular, he was taken with inside the basilica and a description of a particular chamber, in a guide to the catacombs written in 1938 by a Capuchin friar named Giuseppe Da Bra.

In the book, the friar describes a room of about 20 square metres with a vaulted roof ceiling. "In the corner of a wall-seat there can be seen a terracotta funnel whose lower part opens out over the face of a skeleton." he wrote.

It is this, Mr Barbagallo believes to be the Grail, surrounded by a number of beautiful mosaics and frescos depicting the sacred cup.

Dan Brown’s work of fiction, The Da Vinci Code, said the cup had been buried at Rossyln Chapel in Scotland, and sparked off a stampede to the isolated location as thousands flocked to see it for themselves.

Mr Barbagallo said he believed it never went anywhere, and stayed with St Lawrence in his tomb.

The catacombs where Mr Barbagallo believes the cup to buried come under the authority of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology.

A spokesman said: "We are aware of the reports and a few weeks ago made an initial investigation of the area with the possibility of opening the catacombs up but as yet no decision has been made."

Read more on this treasure news at The Daily Telegraph