RESEARCHERS from Oxford are on the hunt for holy relics from Christianity.

The unit from Oxford University will be tasked with separating fact from fiction for numerous religious items from across Europe.

Academics with expertise ranging from genetics to theology, and much in between, make up the team, which has been given the moniker “The Da Vinci Code Department” due to its work.

The best-selling Dan Brown book, made into a film starring Tom Hanks in 2006, features symbologist Robert Langdon on a quest to discover the Holy Grail.

The team has shrugged off the suggestion it is embarking on a holy quest, but the excitement remains over what their work might uncover.

Based at Keble College, it is understood to be the first research body of its type in the world to try to find answers from hidden stories of the past.

Georges Kazan, a member of the team that will mainly trace the history of relics, said: “We hope the research will pinpoint objects of potential interest and allow us to document their known origins.

“We will use a range of methods and analyse the objects’ DNA to provide scientific facts about the individuals from whom these relics originated, such as their geographical location, genetic origin, diet and pathology. We will try to establish any connections between the present locations of these.

“The new technology we have is at the pinnacle and it’s really exciting. It means we can take a tiny piece out of a bone, which could tell us so much.”

Fellow team member Professor Thomas Higham will specialise in dating the relics found to establish new, unknown information.

Mr Kazan added: “Prof Higham and I initially started to collaborate informally and we’ve done a number of case studies into different relics since then.

“As our research progressed, we realised this is a new field, and a lot of work is needed to consolidate it as a model for study, bridging divides such as between science and religion.”