Gellért Hill Cave
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The Gellért Hill Cave (Szent Gellért-barlang in Hungarian), also referred to as "Saint István's Cave", is part of a network of caves within Gellért Hill in Budapest, Hungary. The cave is typically associated with St. István, the first King of Hungary, as it is believed that he may have initially inhabited the caves as a hermit whom used natural thermal waters within the cave to heal the sick.
The first modern entrance for the caves was constructed in the 1920's by a group of Pauline monks. After its consecration in 1926, it served as a chapel and monastery until 1951. During this time, it also served as a field hospital for the army of Nazi Germany during World War II.
In 1945, the Soviet Red Army captured Budapest. For six years, the cave continued its religious functions, but in 1951, the State Protection Authority raided the chapel as part of increasing action against the power of the Catholic Church. As a result of the raid, the cave was sealed, the monastery's superior, Ferenc Vezér, was condemned to death, and the remaining brothers were imprisoned for upwards of ten years.
As the Iron Curtain disintegrated, the chapel reopened on 27 August 1989 with the destruction of the thick concrete wall that had sealed the cave. By 1992, the Chapel had been restored and the Pauline Order had returned to the cave. Today, the monks continue to perform religious functions within, though the cave is also a common tourist attraction.
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