What happened to the site in the later centuries of the Middle Ages?
The finds collected clearly indicate the intensive use of the rock long after the supposed presence of St Gerard and his companion. It is possible that a more permanent hermitage was established next to the chapel – the iron knives, simple buckles, a fire striker, a book fitting and many fragments of cooking vessels found could be linked to their presence. However, the relatively large number of silver coins, as well as various spurs, arrowheads and other weapon-type finds, can hardly be considered the legacy of simple hermits. The lost coins may be evidence of pilgrims visiting the rock, as similar dwellings of saintly hermits were often converted into local shrines in the Middle Ages. The presence of armed men and horsemen is more difficult to explain, although it is possible that it is related to the characteristic fortification of the rock with trenches. An interesting episode in the history of Borostyán-kő, dating from the Tatar period, is a coin deposit buried in the side of the rock, consisting of 151 pieces of Viennese denarii.
What kind of dwellings could the hermits have had?
The excavations revealed a 5 m deep irregular-sided rock cavity at the top of the cliff, which was used at the same time as the medieval chapel, tapering to a square at the bottom. The hermits of the time preferred to live in caves and cells carved into the rock – but not in a cavity like this, open from above. So the original purpose of the excavated rock cave remains a mystery. The hermits may have lived in surface structures of which only very faint traces have been found. In many ways, Borostyán-kő could have been an ideal site for a hermitage. It was in the Bakony mountains, but close to the monastery, which provided a secure background. In addition, the rock, the abundant spring at its base and its surroundings provided favourable conditions that attracted communities to the site already in prehistoric and Roman times.
Is this really where Saint Gerard spent his time as a hermit?
Our medieval sources unanimously testify that St Gerard, before he began his episcopal service, lived a ‘contemplative life’ in Bakonybél. The exact location of his hermitage may be indicated by a record from 1230, which mentions a chapel of the Virgin Mary “above the rock of St Gerard”. Less than 1 km from the medieval monastery, a small rocky outcrop called Borostyán-kő (‘Amber Stone’) rises spectacularly from the valley of the Gerence stream. Our research in 2016 has already indicated that a chapel stood on top of this rock in the Middle Ages, so all evidence pointed to the fact that in the 13th century the site was still called the Rock of St Gerard. Of course, we could not rule out the possibility that, nearly 200 years after his martyrdom, the memory of where Gerard’s hut once stood might have faded. However, in 2022-2023, carbon isotope analysis of human bone remains found here yielded important results: the chapel had been built long before, by the mid-12th century at the latest. Moreover, the artifacts recovered also point to a more permanent occupation of the site. Of particular importance is a metal stylus, which suggests the presence of a learned clergyman. It is undoubtedly impossible to verify by archaeological methods, but the results strongly confirm the earlier suspicion that St Gerard and his hermit companion Maurus did indeed spend their hermit years here.