Ancient discovery in Hungary confirms centuries-old legend

Laboratory analysis of artefacts uncovered in Bodajk has confirmed what was once known only through legend.

With funding from the Szent István Király Museum, samples from several archaeological excavations were analysed for radiocarbon dating at the Hertelendi Ede Environmental Analytical Laboratory of the Institute for Nuclear Research in Debrecen. This scientific technique determines the age of materials by measuring the decay of naturally occurring carbon isotopes. Simply put, the less C-14 present, the older the artefact.

Archaeologist Frigyes Szücsi included human skeletal remains from a 2022 rescue excavation at the Bodajk Calvary among the examined samples. The remains were discovered unexpectedly during the construction of earthworks. Their orientation, densely layered arrangement, and lack of accompanying artefacts suggested a medieval cemetery, though no church ruins were found, nor were there references to one in historical records.

Even after the excavation, the cemetery’s age remained uncertain, although it appeared medieval. As highlighted in the museum’s Facebook post, the Szent István Király Museum hoped radiocarbon testing would provide a timeline for these burials.

Startling discovery

The findings exceeded all expectations: with a 95.4% probability, the examined individual died between 994 and 1028, making them a contemporary of King Saint Stephen. In the late 17th century, Capuchin friar Wilibald recorded local folklore claiming that Saint Stephen established a chapel in Bodajk, where he and his son, Prince Emeric, travelled by boat for prayer. Based on the layout of burial sites that could be linked to a churchyard, this legendary Saint Stephen chapel once stood atop Calvary Hill, even if its remains have yet to be identified.

Further radiocarbon testing and scientific analysis of the skeletal remains may provide even more precise insights into this extraordinary early Árpád-era burial site. “At this point, we can confidently say that scientific data appears to validate the thousand-year-old Bodajk tradition regarding the construction of a chapel (church) during the time of King Saint Stephen,” archaeologist Frigyes Szücsi stated.

The legend of Saint Stephen in Bodajk

Bodajk is known as Hungary’s oldest pilgrimage site. The village’s shrine was built on the foundations of Saint Stephen’s original chapel, and its revered image was brought from Passau, the birthplace of his wife, Queen Gisela.

The popular Bodajk pilgrimage site has long been associated with Saint Stephen and Prince Emeric. Local tradition holds that Bodajk Lake is frog-free because Saint Stephen, disturbed by their croaking during prayer, cursed them. ProVértes recounts this legend.