Excavation conducted by the Israeli Antiquities Authority has uncovered the remains of an Aron Kodesh, also known as a Torah ark, in Vilnius, Lithuania, the group announced on Thursday.
The IAI had been trying until the discovery to uncover the remains of the Great Synagogue of Vilna - which they consider to be one of the largest Jewish community centers of Lithuania.
In addition, a bimah that was excavated was thought to have been destroyed by the Nazis during the 1940s. The Great Synagogue of Vilna as a whole was destroyed, looted and burned by Nazi and Soviet forces.
A Torah ark is what holds the Torah scrolls. The bimah refers to a raised platform with a reading desk in a synagogue.
The Torah ark that was found in the excavation is said to have been renovated in the 18th century after a large fire.
"It became clear, unfortunately, that the core of the synagogue had been greatly damaged by Soviet destruction," According to Dr. Jon Seligman, who visited Vilnius as an integral part of the IAI expedition.
Seligman led a combined team of Lithuanians, Israelis and North Americans to go forth with these excavations.