Upon this hill stands the Szeplőtlen Fogantatás-kápolna. Its story begins not with stone and mortar but with a dream. Wendler Ferenc a local farmer experienced a series of visions of the Virgin Mary. She appeared to him revealing herself as the Immaculate Conception. This was long before the official declaration of the dogma by the Pope.
This small chapel isn’t just older than any other Immaculate Conception church worldwide. It predates the famous Lourdes apparitions. Wendler’s vision according to local accounts came before Bernadette Soubirous’s encounters. He felt compelled to build a chapel in Budaörs in honor of this revelation. He shared his visions with his priest. Intrigued the priest wrote to the Pope.
In 1854 the Pope declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma. Coincidence or divine intervention? The positive response from Rome arrived in Budaörs shortly after. Construction of the Szeplőtlen Fogantatás-kápolna began immediately. Pope Pius IX even donated a statue of Mary for the chapel.
The path to the chapel itself was built in 1855. The cornerstone was laid on May 5th 1855. The chapel was finally consecrated on October 15th 1855. After his wife’s death Wendler carved a cave near the chapel. He lived there as a hermit until his death in 1897. His grave lies behind the chapel.
The chapel’s care was passed down through Wendler’s family. His son András and later his grandson Grósz Mátyás continued the tradition. Mátyás expanded the cave living there as a hermit from 1932 onwards. Damage occurred during World War II. The chapel’s stones were even taken away after the expulsion of Germans in 1946.
The idea to rebuild the chapel arose in 1996. The statue of Mary miraculously saved from the war returned to Budaörs in 1997. The reconstruction was completed quickly thanks to the community’s efforts. The chapel was reconsecrated on October 15th 2003. New bells were added in 2004. A new staircase was completed in 2006. A replica of a Corpus statue lost in the war was placed there in 2008.
The Kő-hegy hill and the Szeplőtlen Fogantatás-kápolna remain a place of pilgrimage. Every September a procession and mass are held commemorating the chapel and its unique history. It is a testament to faith perseverance and the enduring power of a dream. The Szeplőtlen Fogantatás-kápolna stands as a silent witness to these extraordinary events a beacon of hope and devotion on Budaörs’s hillside.