When the first woman bishop, the Right Reverend Libby Lane, was consecrated in 2015, it was hailed a “completely new phase” in the Church of England’s history.

The legislation followed decades of argument over women’s ordination and remains controversial.

But academics now claim that a fresco unearthed in an Italian catacomb proves that women were acting as bishops in the early Christian church.

The 5th century image of a woman named Cerula, found in the catacomb of San Gennaro, Naples, shows her surrounded by open, flaming Gospel books, which are thought to be symbolic of the role of a bishop.

Academics said the discovery was “incredibly significant” evidence that women held senior roles in the early Christian church and could mean that millions will have to rethink the origins of their faith.

The revelations are made in a programme, due to be aired on Channel 4 next weekend, which also suggests that Jesus had many more female disciples than was previously thought.