Hidden behind the bishop's palace, is the archaeological site of the Romanesque royal basilica with its foundations which have been exposed in several excavations since 1936. The church, a triple-naved basilica with semi-circular apse in the east was founded by King Stephan prior to the year 1000 and rebuilt several times until the 15th C with the addition of a sepulchral chapel.
It was of outstanding importance in the Middle Ages as the coronation church and place of interment of the Hungarian kings (altogether 11 kings are interred here). The Turks plundered the kings' tombs, used the basilica as a mosque and later as a munitions store. The ruins of the church which was badly damaged by an explosion in 1601 had to give way to the new bishop's palace in 1789. Triggered by the sensational discovery of the two intact sarcophagi of King Béla III and his wife Anna of Châtillon, which were transferred to the cathedral crypt (the relics rest in St Matthew's church in Budapest, the burial objects are preserved in the National Museum) work began in the middle of the 19th C on the systematic excavation of the area.
Relics from the Romanesque church, especially building sculpture, tombstones, as well as a part of the red marble sarcophagus of King Louis I, are on show in the round arched hall in the east of the exhibition site (1936/38). Also to be found here is the notable marble sarcophagus, which was long thought to contain the remains of St Stephan or his father Géza. Recent research suggests that it is the coffin of Prince Imre, son of Stephan I, who died prematurely. This Roman coffin, with ornamental figures and reliefs was carved in the first half of the 11th C by a Venetian stonemason. At one end is an angel figure holding a babe-in-arms which symbolizes the soul of the deceased.
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