Saint Teresa of Ávila
Everyone has their favourite spot on our vineyard estate…
For some, it is the cellar. For others, it is among the vineyards, walking the hillsides. Yet for many of us, the Terézia Chapel is the first place that comes to mind.
Perhaps because slowing down comes a little more naturally here.
A short walk leads uphill from the heart of the estate. As the path gently winds between the vineyard rows, the view gradually opens across the rolling landscape of Tokaj. There is no reason to hurry. It is a walk that feels different in every season.
If you make your way to the top, you will often meet Gyula.
Gyula grew up on the estate. He has known the chapel since childhood and today he is its devoted caretaker, holding the keys to its doors. If you are curious to meet "the Lady"—as he affectionately calls the chapel—he will gladly welcome you inside and share the stories that have become part of this special place
We believe there is a quiet energy here. If you do more than simply walk up for a photograph—if you stay for a while, listen to the wind moving through the vines, the song of the crickets and the stillness of the landscape—you may begin to sense it too.
We cannot really explain it. We only know that every time we walk up the hill, we leave feeling a little more at peace. On that, Gyula and we have always agreed.
Perhaps that is why so many people choose this place for life's most meaningful moments. Proposals, weddings, christenings and quiet commemorations all find a home here, just as much as those ordinary afternoons when someone simply wishes to pause for a few peaceful minutes.
We often say that the Terézia Chapel is not a place to tick off a bucket list. It is a place to linger for a little while...
The Beginning of a New Chapter
With the completion of its restoration, the rededication of the Terézia Chapel marked far more than the reopening of a historic building—it became the continuation of a story that began nearly three centuries ago. Since then, the chapel has once again become a living part of the estate.
Today, it welcomes pilgrims as one of the stops along the Marian Way passing through Tarcal, while, as an ecumenically consecrated chapel, it is open to Christians of all denominations. Some visitors come for a quiet prayer, others simply seek a moment of stillness. Some exchange their wedding vows here, celebrate the baptism of a child, or simply sit for a while, taking in the beauty of the Tokaj wine region.
We believe a chapel fulfils its true purpose not only by preserving the past, but by offering a place for life's most meaningful moments in the present.
Following the Second World War, the chapel stood empty for decades, and its condition gradually deteriorated. When the Degenfeld family decided to restore the building, their ambition reached far beyond preserving a historic landmark. Countess Mária Degenfeld and her family wanted to bring the chapel back to life as a living part of the estate, allowing it to fulfil its original purpose once again: to be an open and welcoming place for the community.
The Terézia Chapel was not built on the highest point of the estate by chance. For nearly three centuries, it has watched over the same vineyards and the same landscape that remain home to our wines today. It was commissioned in 1750 by Count Antal Grassalkovich in honour of Empress Maria Theresa, and in gratitude for the support and patronage she had shown him. Before long, the chapel became an important spiritual and community landmark for the surrounding region. Following the Second World War, however, it stood abandoned for decades. Its walls endured, but little by little, life faded from within them.
