Smithsonian Magazine · People & society

Medieval Convent Ruins Found Under Danish Soccer Field

Archaeologists have discovered well-preserved ruins of a medieval convent, St. Clare's, buried just three feet beneath a soccer field in Roskilde, Denmark. The site, previously thought to be lost, was identified using ground-penetrating radar.

A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey revealed remnants of rooms, cloisters, pillars, and a church. The GPR data provided exceptionally clear images of the subterranean structures.

The survey was prompted by plans to build a new parking facility on the land, which has been used as a soccer field since 1961. Researchers used a GPR scanner mounted on an ATV for the noninvasive survey.

St. Clare's Convent, founded in 1256, was the oldest of three Poor Clare convents in medieval Denmark. It was one of five monastic sites in Roskilde, a significant center of ecclesiastical and royal power.

Unlike other protected monastic sites in Roskilde, St. Clare's never received protection because experts assumed it was destroyed. The convent closed during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, and much of its structure was demolished, with half a million bricks sold.

Scans indicate the structure measured approximately 230 feet long, with four wings around a central courtyard. The church, located in the south wing, likely had a vaulted ceiling.

Researchers plan to conduct excavations, anticipating the discovery of pottery, animal bones, religious artifacts like crosses and rosary beads, and potentially graves that could reveal information about the convent's inhabitants.

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