Csengeri Piroska - Tóth Arnold (szerk.): A Herman Ottó Múzeum évkönyve 54. (Miskolc, 2015)
Régészet - Gál Viktor–Miskolczi Melinda: A gönci római katolikus plébániatemplom 2014. évi feltárása
EXCAVATION OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF GÖNC, 2014 Keywords: Gáspár Károlyi, Church of St. Emeric (St. Imre), Baroque, crypt, coffin remains, religious medal Interesting findings were brought to light during the excavation of the sanctuary in the medieval Roman Catholic church of St. Emeric in 2014. The church is a part of the local heritage. It was erected in the last third of the 15th century. According to historical sources, pastor Gáspár Károlyi, the translator of the Vizsoly Bible (the oldest full translation of the Bible into Hungarian), preached here at the end of the 16th century. The archaeological survey of the sanctuary revealed surprising findings. After removing the modern artificial stone pavement, three Baroque brick floors were identified. The potters’ marks ’D’ and ’CAC’, burnt into the bricks, were clearly visible on the mortuary layers. The earliest floor level unearthed during the excavation covered salient parts of the sanctuary’s foundation pier, and so they must be associated with the same building phase. The present form of the sanctuary in the Gönc church reflects the Baroque transformation of the building. This re-building is dated to the year 1763, which is carved into the lintel above the door to the vestry. The earliest brick floor also dates to this period. The foundation of the piers suggest that the northern wall of the sanctuary was erected in the 15th century, when the edifice was a Gothic church, and the piers holding the Baroque vault were added only later. On the southern side, however, the piers merge into the church wall. On the basis of these facts it was concluded that during the Baroque transformation of the building, the internal space of the 15th-century sanctuary shrunk both in terms of its width and height. After the dismantlement of the modern altar, the altar foundation of the 18th-century church was brought to light. The stone foundation measured 2 x 2 m. The altar could be accessed through a small flight of stairs built of stone cubes in the middle of the sanctuary. Surprisingly, no earlier building layers or floors were found below the 18,h-century layers. One of the most interesting tasks was to dismantle the medieval stone crypt that came to light after that the Baroque altar was removed. The crypt was covered by a barrel vault of bricks. This burial, placed on the most distinguished spot of the church, had been disturbed in the 18th century, when a nearby pillar foundation was made, the crypt was emptied and then filled so that a more solid foundation could be made for the column that supported the Baroque vault. Medieval burials discovered right under the brick floor as well as the difference between the ground level outside and inside the sanctuary suggested that during the Baroque transformation, the floor level was sunk by more than 1 m. Thus, all medieval burials as well as the medieval floor level had been destroyed. Three burials dated to the Baroque era were excavated in the sanctuary area. All three coffins were decorated: coffin nails formed a pattern showing the names of the deceased and the date of their death. These inscriptions were fragmentary in all cases. Remains of the shroud that covered the coffin were observed under the nails of two of the coffins. All three skeletons were porous and poorly preserved. The name and date of death of a male remained unknown. On the board belonging to burial no. 2 read the name ESZTERHAZY. The deceased in grave no. 3 was identified as Angéla Niczky, who died in 1730. Remains of the burial costume of this young girl as well as her hairpieces around the skull were unearthed. The discovered burials refuted the legend that Gáspár Károlyi was buried in this sanctuary. During the archaeological excavation, metal detectors were utilized to survey the yard of the church and the parish. The discovered material dates to the 16th to the 20th century. Coins, rings, and a religious medal depicting St. Michael were found. The latter is associated with the confraternity of St. Michael, according to its inscription. [Translated by Kyra Lyublyanovics] A gönci római katolikus plébániatemplom 2014. évi feltárása 325 Gál, Viktor—Miskolcot, Melinda
