''What's clear today is that it's the oldest archeological remains of a church in Israel, maybe even in the entire region. Whether in the entire world, it's still too early to say," said Yotam Tepper, the excavation's head archeologist.
Israeli officials were excited about the discovery, with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon calling the church ''an amazing story."
Vatican officials also hailed the find.
''A discovery of this kind will make Israel more interesting to all Christians, for the church all over the world," said Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican envoy to Jerusalem. ''If it's true that the church and the beautiful mosaics are from the third century, it would be one of the most ancient churches in the Middle East."
Ramil Razilo, who found the mosaic and is serving a two-year sentence for traffic violations, was one of about 50 inmates brought into the high-security prison to help excavate the area before the construction of new wards for 1,200 Palestinian prisoners.
Razilo said the inmates had worked for months to uncover all the parts of the mosaic -- the floor of the church, he said. ''We found this whole beautiful thing," said Razilo, who used a sponge and a bucket of water to clean dirt off the uncovered mosaics yesterday.
Two mosaics inside the church -- one covered with fish, an ancient Christian symbol that predates the cross -- tell the story of a Roman officer and a woman named Aketous who donated money to build the church in the memory ''of the god, Jesus Christ."
Pottery remnants from the third century, the style of Greek writing used in the inscriptions, ancient geometric patterns in the mosaics, and the depiction of fish rather than the cross indicate that the church was no longer used by the fourth century, Tepper said.
The church's location also made sense because a bishop was active in the area at the time, said Tepper, who works with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
