Lost 13th-Century Convent Discovered Beneath a Soccer Field in Denmark
Learn how scans mapped the rooms, cloister, and church of a medieval monastery beneath a field in Roskilde, Denmark.
In January 2025, archaeologists in Roskilde, Denmark, stumbled upon a well-preserved 13th-century convent while conducting ground-penetrating radar scans beneath a soccer field. The facility, St. Clare's Convent, was initially thought to have been demolished centuries ago. However, the scans unveiled substantial portions of the complex, including four wings surrounding a central cloister courtyard and a church in the southern wing.
The northern and eastern wings appear especially well-preserved, with room divisions and foundations for pillars supporting vaulted ceilings visible in the scans. The northern and eastern wings show room divisions and foundations for pillars that once supported vaulted ceilings. The radar also suggested that additional buildings may have extended beyond the central monastery square.
St. Clare's is the last of Roskilde's five known medieval monasteries to be discovered, its previous existence largely unknown due to the belief that its remains had disappeared after its dissolution in the 16th century. The National Museum of Denmark, ROMU, and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research collaborated on the survey, with NIKU archaeologist Arne Abel Stamnes interpreting the radar data.
A trial trench could be dug in the future to confirm the findings and inform larger excavation plans.
Written by urgent.news from Discover Magazine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
