Hungarian Prison Service

The cultus of St. Adrian in Hungary developed in the 9th century. The most important place for the veneration of St. Adrian is Zalavár-Vársziget. The archaeological excavation of the area has been going on since the 1950s by the colleagues of the Archaeological Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian National Museum.

Zalavár Excavations
During the excavations the ruins of a basilica built by the Slavic Prince Pribina around 850 and dedicated to St. Adrian were revealed in Mosaburg (later Zalavár). In the sanctuary of the Caroling-age, ambulatory, ring crypt basilica, in a stone coffin the martyr could have been laying, which could be reached through the corridor from behind the sanctuary. Almost nothing remains from the walls of the basilica dedicated to St. Adrian. During the excavations the base of the basilica was found. A tower was attached to the western façade and a monastery to the southern. The ruins of the monastery were excavated between 1999-2001. Many stone fragments of the monastery remained, replicas of which may be seen at the exhibition of the Kis-Balaton House and most of the original stones in the Balaton Múzeum at Keszthely.
From the stones of the church destroyed in the 10th century a basilica was raised also on the Castle Island in 1019 and dedicated to St. Adrian. During the Ottoman occupation both the church and the monastery was converted into a fortress which successfully resisted attacks. The castle and the monastery next to it were ordered to be demolished by King Leopold I in 1702. The excavation of this area is the duty of archaeologists and a challenge of the future.

Source:
Dr. Ágnes Ritoók, Hungarian National Museum, Archaeological Exhibition, Head of Exhibition
Dr. Béla Miklós Szőke, Researcher at the Archaeological Institute, Research Centre for Humanities, Hungarian Academy of Sciences