Miklós Kásler - Zoltán Szentirmay (szerk.): Identifying the Árpád Dynasty Skeletons Interred in the Matthias Church. Applying data from historical, archaeological, anthropological, radiological, morphological, radiocarbon dating and genetic research (Budapest, 2021)
CHAPTER THREE – Archaeological, anthropological and radiological data
companion, engineer János Varsányi, who arrived on December 8. According to these, at 9 am, the second sarcophagus was opened before a ‘large audience’; it contained the king’s bones and jewellery. (City Council minutes 1848,4613).” János Pauer recalls the following about the events: “Back during the summer months, at the right wing of the bishop’s residence facing the east, where the enormous basilica built by Saint István once stood, during the repair of the artesian well, while digging, the workers found pillar-fragments and huge stone tablets. After the work around the well was finished and the digging continued, they at last found a marble sarcophagus, which, after it was opened on December 5, 1848, in the morning hours, was found to contain the remains of a queen; on her head there was a crown, on her finger a golden ring. Time had wasted away everything on her, and only the skeleton remained. This event attracted great attention and was reported to the city’s leaders; the digging was halted, until such time that the men of science sent by the National Museum appeared. After that, the digging resumed once again, and after the earth and Gothic stone fragments had been removed from the marble sarcophagus, it was opened at 8 am in the morning on December 12. We felt holy fear in our hearts, as the grave was opened before us and we saw the skeleton of the former King of the Hungarian Nation, and among the bones, the royal jewels lying inertly before us, as besides these, whatever time could consume, it had consumed.” (Pauer 1849). Érdy also recalled the discovery of the royal couple’s grave in 1853: “a strong man’s skeleton was revealed to us, sprinkled over it were the ashes of bygone centuries, the wind touching them for the first time since. 6 foot 2 inch tall, undisturbed silver jewels were splashed with 59
