TRENČÍN, SLOVAKIA—The Slovak Spectator reports that archaeologists are excavating a crypt at Trenčín Castle, which is located in western Slovakia. Historic records suggest that there may be an entrance to a second chamber in the northern wall of the crypt located beneath the altar at Lord’s Chapel. “We have successfully revealed the original staircase leading into the crypt, and have cleared about half the structure,” said archaeologist Juraj Malec. The chapel and the crypt were built by Barbara of Celje, the Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, who remodeled the medieval castle in the fifteenth century. The chapel was remodeled twice again before it was damaged in a fire in 1790. Malec explained that the crypt is thought to have been backfilled in the 1980s. “Previous excavators damaged the vault in two locations and discarded waste inside,” he explained. The area was then used as a guard dog kennel and as a storage facility, he added. To read about coffins uncovered beneath the floor of Notre Dame Cathedral, go to "Update: Notre Dame's Nobility."
