Chapel of the Seven, Liget

One of the great things about Vác is that you can discover a completely different environment with a short walk. The city centre is almost connected tothe Danube bank, the cycle path, and you can reach the grove in a few minutes. 

Váci grove is a romantic little wooded area with secret paths and a fishing lake. Chroniclers say that this was also the place where Vác was founded, and where the hermit Vacz lived. The grove is still a popular recreational area for families and dog lovers. 

Here stands the Chapel of the Seven, barely bigger than a chapel. However, it is one of the most beautiful and atmospheric churches in the city, which, according to written records, was begun in 1711. 

Behind the church there are two springs, the Mary and Eye springs. In the past, the water from these springs was believed to have healing properties. Legend has it that a master carpenter from Vác, recovering from an illness, placed a statue of the Virgin Mary at the spring. The place soon became a place of pilgrimage, and the 'Kúti' statue was placed on the main altar of the church.

The stelae on the road leading to the church represent the seven joys and seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary. The Chapel of the Seven and the surrounding grove have been a pilgrimage site since 1815, when pilgrims take "medicine" from the spring. Every year on the Sunday after St. Mary's Day (12 September), pilgrims come from far and wide, many of them staying the night before to keep vigil at the shrine. Mass is celebrated at the outdoor altar built in 1947.

Váci liget is energising in all seasons. The wonder of the meadows in bloom and the green forest in spring, the cool shade of the trees in summer, the sea of chestnuts and the foliage in a thousand colours in autumn, and the soothing silence and snowy landscape in winter... if you are in Vác, it is definitely worth a visit on foot or by bike.

2600 Vác, Derecske dűlő 2.