VISEGRÁD, HUNGARY—Hungary Today reports that traces of a fifteenth-century Christian church have been found in Visegrád, the site of a fortified medieval castle on a hill on the Danube River in northern Hungary. The Church of the Virgin Mary had been part of a Franciscan monastery founded by Sigismund of Luxembourg, and built next to his palace. Sigismund, the son of Charles IV, ruled as King of Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia, and eventually as Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. Excavation of the area in front of the church’s high altar uncovered the remains of three people in the debris of a collapsed crypt. A spur, several lead pellets, and a copper bowl that appears to have been battered by weapons suggest that the three may have been soldiers, who perhaps attempted to defend the site. The building is thought to have collapsed in the sixteenth century, after Visegrád was captured by the Ottomans. Traces of a settlement dated to the Ottoman occupation, including coins, an Ottoman cemetery, and an oval-shaped oven, were also uncovered in the lower, fortified area of Visegrád. To read more about the Ottoman occupation of Hungary, go to "Letter from Hungary: The Search for the Sultan's Tomb."
Traces of a Royal Medieval Church Found in Hungary
News May 10, 2024
Recommended Articles
Artifacts May/June 2024
Medieval Iron Gauntlet
Digs & Discoveries January/February 2023
Storming the Castle
Letter from Germany September/October 2022
Berlin's Medieval Origins
In the midst of modern construction, archaeologists search for evidence of the city’s earliest days
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2022
First Falconer
-
Features May/June 2024
Alexander the Great's Untold Story
Excavations in northern Greece are revealing the world that shaped the future king
(Veronika Pfeiffer/Alamy) -
Letter from the Catskills May/June 2024
Ghost Towns of the Ashokan Reservoir
An archaeologist investigates how construction of New York City’s largest reservoir a century ago uprooted thousands of rural residents
(Courtesy the New York City Department of Environmental Protection) -
Artifacts July/August 2024
Etruscan Oil Lamp
(Courtesy Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona; © DeA Picture Library/Art Resource, NY) -
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2024
Ancient Egyptian Caregivers
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)