Monument of European Significance to Commemorate Hungarian Kings

Hungary Today 2023.07.02.

Main Street in Székesfehérvár

A memorial of European significance is to be built in Székesfehérvár (city in central Hungary), serving as a fitting resting place for the Hungarian kings who were originally buried in the coronation basilica, destroyed during the Turkish occupation, reports Magyar Nemzet.

Miklós Kásler, Director General of the Institute of Hungarian Studies, visited Székesfehérvár to discuss the reconstruction of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the former coronation church of the kings of the House of Árpád. In an interview with Hungarian video series, “Első Kézből,” he said that the aim was not just to renovate the cathedral, but to create a national memorial that would serve as a resting place for our kings, a unique monument in Europe.

The foundation of the Christian Hungarian State is closely linked to Székesfehérvár.

The coronation of Hungarian kings was subject to three conditions: first, they had to be crowned with the Holy Crown, second, the coronation had to take place in Székesfehérvár, and third, it had to be performed by the Archbishop of Esztergom.

Until 1541, fifteen of our Hungarian kings, including the greatest, Stephen I., Coloman, and Mátyás Hunyadi, were buried here, noted Kásler.

Fact

The destruction of the basilica began in Turkish times and continued thereafter, with the above-ground parts of the building completely gone by the early 19th century. During the communist period, the finds in the church’s charnel-house were treated unjustly, the bones of the fifteen Hungarian kings were mixed up. However, today, it is possible to separate the remains and identify the samples, with the help of the science of archaeogenetics.

This is not a matter for Székesfehérvár alone, but a national, Carpathian Basin-wide issue. Decision-makers, city leaders, civilians, and representatives of the relevant scientific disciplines are all working to establish a national memorial site of Carpathian Basin significance, and even beyond, said the Director General.

The identification of the Hungarian kings has started in the ossuary, and

as soon as it is possible to examine the remains of family members buried in other European countries, we will be able to identify all fifteen Hungarian kings in the foreseeable future.

The rebuilt basilica will be their burial place, which they themselves chose as their eternal resting place, said Kásler.

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Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image via Facebook/Geyza Gregorivs Macarivs