The monastery was possibly the private chapel of the Kinghts of St. George.Continue reading
During an archaeological excavation in Visegrád (northern Hungary), the ruins of the Church of the Virgin Mary, built under the rule of Sigismund of Luxembourg, were found under a tennis court. Traces of a clash hundreds of years ago were also uncovered in the area around the crypt in front of the excavated high altar, reports Turizmus.com.
In March this year, the largest-scale research into the history of Visegrád continued. For the first time, traces of a settlement dating back to the Ottoman occupation (1541-1699) were found in the lower castle, Várkapitányság told the press. Interestingly, most of the buildings used by the Ottomans contained forged coins. They also discovered what is believed to be an Ottoman burial site and an oval-shaped oven.
Most promising for archaeologists was the excavation of the tennis court next to the royal palace, where the Franciscan monastery founded by Sigismund of Luxembourg once stood.
Sigismund of Luxembourg (King of Hungary between 1387–1437). Photo via Wikipedia.
The remains of the church were found on the first day, and a crypt was unearthed in front of the high altar. Among the debris of the collapsed crypt lay the remains of three bodies. The objects found beside them, such as a spur and several shots (pellets made of lead), suggested that they were soldiers. There was a copper bowl near them, which may have been used for defense, as its surface shows indentations made by weapons.
This could suggest that the church was not only the scene of looting, but also of a bloody clash.
It is thought to have collapsed after 1544, when Visegrád fell to the Ottomans, burying for centuries the remains of the royal castle’s former wealth and ruin, which the archaeologists’ excavation has brought back to light.
The Visegrád Renaissance Development Program, aiming to bring about a worthy renewal of Visegrád Castle and its surroundings, was launched in 2021. In the next few years, not only will the Lower Castle and Solomon’s Tower be reconstructed, but also the Visegrád Citadel and the Royal Palace. The complex will be made accessible and pedestrianized, and the upper and lower parts of the castle system will be linked. The works will be carried out in several phases to ensure that the citadel, the lower castle, and parts of the Royal Palace can be visited during the reconstruction.
Via Turizmus.com; Featured image via Facebook/Visegrád Reneszánsza
