High precision laser scanning assisting in the service of historical and art historical research. The burial monument of Queen Gertrude (13th century)

One of the most important and controversial burial sites of medieval Hungary is the grave of Queen Gertrude of Meran with its decorated burial monument at the Cistercian Abbey of Pilis. The circumstances of her assassination are hotly debated in Hungarian history and are described in a large number of local and foreign contemporary documents. Archaeological excavations have revealed the fragments of her burial monument with high artistic qualities (human figures, architectural elements, inscriptions, decorated patterns). Over the last three decades, art historical research has discussed the foreign artistic influences of the monument and proposed several reconstructions based on the drawings and photos of the excavated fragments. A full-size sculpted model has also been created on the basis of one of these hypothetical reconstructions. This paper will present the results of a new research project to create the first virtual reconstruction of the burial monument. By using 3D technology, the results and conclusions derived from the fragments have been made more accessible than through traditional methods.