UA 3
If we are trying to link the excavated bone remains to one of these two historical figures, we can theoretically do this by comparing the main features of the skull with the facial features on the tombstones. While some of the main features of the skull remains may correspond to the features on Abbot Sigfrid's tombstone, the facial features of László Czudar do not have the slightest reflection to them.
We have no reliable knowledge about the extent to which the tombs were made to faithfully reproduce the personal physical features and facial features of the deceased. Researchers should also be cautious about the discrepancy between the size of the tombstones and the narrow dimensions of the monastic choir, especially if the tombstones are imagined as part of a tomb with an ascending structure, i.e. a tumba, as is likely to be the case with the tomb of Abbot Sigfrid.
The identification of the bones with a specific historical figure thus remains to be established.
UA 2
Abbot Uros was an outstanding figure in the history of the Hungarian medieval church. He was not only very active in his own monastery, but also in the affairs of the Kingdom of Hungary, and according to sources he was a very strong-willed person. The rebuilding of the church of Pannonhalma is also attributed to him. Thus, as the builder of the church, Uros was entitled to a central, prominent burial place in the new early Gothic church, consecrated in 1224.
It has been suggested that the carbon isotope dating of the skeleton might provide a means of verifying the identity of the deceased. Therefore, with the support of the Archabbey’s leadership and the monastic community, the remains were re-exhumed at the end of 2023. The sample from the skeleton was analyzed in the radiocarbon laboratory of CEZA in Mannheim, Germany. Alas, the results dated the bones to the 14th century (cal AD 1286–1389), which did not confirm the linkage of the remains to Abbot Uros.
Maintaining the original starting points, the person we were looking for was most likely to be found among the notable abbots of the 14th century, given the radiocarbon dating. At least a dozen, including several prominent abbots, were active in Pannonhalma in the time frame obtained, but among them, the persons of Sigfrid (1355–1365) and László Czudar (1365–1372) stand out. Their monumental stone slabs can still be seen in the nave of the basilica.
UA 1
In 1994, during renovations of the Pannonhalma basilica, an undisturbed grave was discovered in the middle of the nave, in the monks' choir. The remains of a coffin were found in the rock-cut grave, in which lay a poorly preserved skeleton without any grave goods. An anthropological examination carried out by Kinga Éry concluded that the remains belonged to a tall, robust man aged 54-68 years. Following the investigations, the remains were returned to their original burial site in a wooden box.
The question has been raised among experts and the Benedictine community as to who could be the person buried in such a prominent and central place, without any grave goods. In any case, the puritanical nature of the burial suggested that the deceased belonged to the monastic community. All this led to suspicions that the deceased may be Abbot Uros who was the leader of the monastery of St. Martin between 1207 and 1243.