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.

Since ancient times, pilgrims have been drawn to the healing spring at the base of Calvary Hill, known as the Well of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. According to legend, Saint Stephen visited the site multiple times and later had a chapel built beside the well, which he and Emeric frequently visited. Saint Gellért is also said to have visited the site, and in 1090, King Saint Ladislaus reportedly used the sign of the cross to drive out pagans there.

The history of the pilgrimage site

During the Middle Ages, the site was maintained by the Knights Templar. It later became a battleground during the wars against the Ottoman Turks, with many notable warriors defending it—among them the pious Capuchin friar Saint Lawrence of Brindisi. The Capuchins, who later settled in Mór, rebuilt the shrine. In 1697, a friar named Wilibald began constructing the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on its old foundations.

By 1728, plans were made for a new church, which, under the leadership of Archbishop Leopold Kolonits, was completed in 14 years. It was consecrated in 1742 by Bishop Zsigmond Berényi of Pécs. This baroque church, adorned with magnificent frescoes, received an altar painting from Passau—a replica of the famous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help—brought from Queen Gisela’s hometown, as reported by Mária Út.

Over 200 years, miraculous healings attributed to the Bodajk shrine significantly increased the number of pilgrims, prompting the construction of a vast, arched pilgrimage courtyard capable of accommodating 15,000 people in 1942. The Second World War left the site in ruins, but it was later restored. The Capuchin friars, exiled for 40 years, returned in 1989 and continue serving pilgrims today.

An intriguing aspect of the Bodajk shrine’s history is the central role played by Hungary’s first saintly family: King Saint Stephen commissioned the chapel’s construction, while a miraculous image associated with the site arrived from Queen Gisela’s birthplace 600 years later.

Other stories from Hungarian history:

• What happened to Ferenc Puskás’s Golden Team, the “Mighty Magyars”, after the tragic 1954 UEFA World Cup loss?
• The Tiszazug poisoners – Hungary’s darkest criminal mystery

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