A child's grave indicating a shocking medieval burial custom was found during the archaeological excavation of the Church of the Virgin Mary.

During the largest archaeological excavation in the history of Visegrád, dozens of skeletons were discovered this time in the area of ​​the former Franciscan church, located next to the royal palace, according to a statement from the Castle Administration.

Special graves were found in Visegrad

They wrote that some of the graves probably belonged to the monks, and the other part to the civilian population. According to archaeologists, the remains of people buried in coffins or shrouds can mainly come from the first half of the 15th century and the middle of the 16th century.

According to the information, a strange group of graves was discovered in the nave, close to the sanctuary. During the excavation of a pit that could be considered the resting place of an adult, the remains of a child without a coffin and buried in a shroud were unexpectedly found. The outline of a larger object unfolded directly below the right femur. After highlighting, during the restoration it turned out that

the object is an iron padlock in good condition, which, based on its shape, was in use in the 16th century.

Next to the skull, in the immediate vicinity of the mouth, a fistful of stone was also found.

The legend of vampires was alive and well in the Middle Ages

As it was written, when the grave was further deepened, the skeleton of an adult, also buried without a coffin, was found at the bottom of the pit. It was already evident during his exploration that

severe, degenerative changes can be observed in several places on the skeleton,

which obviously severely limited the person's movement and probably other physical activities as well. There was also a padlock at the frame's right foot.

Recorded:

padlocks refer to superstitious customs that seem strange today.

According to a common misconception in the Middle Ages, the padlock placed next to the grave served to keep the dead in the grave and prevent their return from the afterlife. And in a broader sense, they can be linked to the vampire beliefs of the time.

Ghosts returning from the afterlife, harassing the living and sucking their blood are known as nora in Hungary. According to the belief, the nora is a creature similar to a vampire, which emerges from a child who has died without being baptized, at night it sucks milk and blood from the breasts of the sleeping, and its victims wither away.

- they mentioned in the announcement.

They were afraid of the dead

In the case of the finds unearthed in Visegrád, several connections can be assumed between the two child and adult skeletons buried one above the other in the same burial pit with padlocks, according to the information. It is possible that they were related and that they feared both persons because of their physical or mental illness, so they tried to pin them to the grave to prevent their return. In addition to the padlocks, the role of vampire beliefs can also be supported by the piece of stone observed in the child's mouth, which cannot be ruled out as having been originally placed in the child's mouth.

They added that, according to the archaeologists, additional questions arise in relation to the findings, which are expected to be answered based on the complete exploration of the area and the scientific tests carried out.

Within the framework of the Visegrád Renaissance development program, not only the lower castle and Solomon's tower, the valley wall and the water bastion will be reconstructed in the coming years, but the Visegrád citadel and the royal palace will also be renovated

- reads the statement.

In the information, it was recalled that the archaeological excavation taking place as part of the Visegrád Renaissance development program launched in 2021 is being carried out by specialists of the two institutions of the MNMKK Hungarian National Museum, the National Institute of Archeology and the King Mátyás Museum, on behalf of the Castle Administration.

As a result of the program, the castle system and the royal palace will be renewed according to the conditions of the time of Matthias

they added.

MTI

Featured image: Visegrád Renaissance / Facebook