The site was visited on Saturday by Zlatko Uzelac, a representative of the Culture Ministry, and representatives of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Uzelac said the discovery, presented to the public today for the first time, represented a big contribution to understanding medieval architecture and proof that Osijek's baroque Church of the Saint Cross was built in 1705 on the foundations of a big three-nave 12th century Romanesque church.
Uzelac said the remains of the church were first discovered during the renovation of the Church of the Saint Cross in 1990-93, but works were put on hold and the site was conserved because of the war.
The Culture Ministry provided the funds to resume the excavation last year and works will continue throughout this year, he said.
The early Romanesque church was built under the Hungarian-Croatian King Geza II and the remains discovered provide an exceptional presentation of Cistercian architecture, the typology of Romanesque churches and many other epochal discoveries, Uzelac told Hina, adding that the entry and the remains of stone stairs were conserved where they were found and could now be viewed.
He said the archaeological find also testified to the existence of Osijek's oldest square, which had also been a big medieval fairground, and that they would make the town more attractive to tourists and testify to its medieval history.
Archeologist Dragana Rajkovic said Osijek's centre provided evidence of the town's outstanding history and culture. Her colleague Tino Lelekovic said the town was an archeological treasure trove of Roman culture.