Point of interest - Fertőd - Szent Antal Chapel (Esterházy Castle)
The complex of buildings of the Esterházy Castle of Fertőd and the contemporary history exhibition in it is the main attraction of the town of Fertőd, one of the outstanding tourist attractions of Hungary.
The chapel was mainly used by the princely family, but until Eszterháza had no independent chaplaincy, the inhabitants of the village also attended mass here. The chapel is located in the building block of the castle. It is accessible from the courtyard, the princely suite and the princely wing. Its oval-shaped, marble-covered hall is connected to the ground and first floors by a parapet. The ceiling frescoes depict St Stephen offering the kingdom to the Virgin Mary (by Joseph Ignatz Mildorfer), with stucco frames by Johann Michael Reiff. The original altarpiece depicted Saint Antal of Padua, which was destroyed around 1945. The present altarpiece depicts the heavenly mission of Jesus (by Felix Leicher). The sacristy and organ room open onto the ground floor, while upstairs is the Ducal Oratory and the choir room. The chapel is open to the public according to the castle's visiting schedule.
It took its present form in the second half of the 18th century, based on the ideas and plans of Miklós Esterházy (Fényes). It was designed by several architects, such as Martinelli, Jacoby and Menyhért Hefele, but the complex was essentially the work of Miklós Esterházy (Fényes). It took him nearly 20 years to build the present complex, which is a worthy counterpart to the Schönbrunn in Vienna and Versailles in Paris. The Baroque complex is a unique architectural phenomenon of its time. Thanks to the artistic patronage of the Esterházy dukes, the castle was one of the main cultural centres of late 18th century Hungary. "It is also called the 'Hungarian Versailles'. Its heyday lasted from 1768 to 1790. The first large-scale celebrations were held in 1770, when the Duke presented his court to the Viennese aristocracy.
The castle chapel, which is mainly used by the family, is accessible from the courtyard, the princely apartments and the princely wing. Its oval marble-clad hall is connected to the upper and ground floors by a gallery. The ceiling fresco is inspired by the "Regnum Marianum" of the period, with St Stephen offering the country to the Virgin Mary. The artist is Joseph Ignatz Mildorfer, who also painted the ceiling fresco in the banqueting hall, and the stucco frames are by Johann Michael Reiff. The sacred space was dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, who was also depicted in the original altarpiece, which was destroyed around 1945. The current altarpiece depicts Jesus' mission to heaven by Felix Leichert. The quality of the restoration of the chapel was recognised in 2001 with the Europa Nostra Prize.
- Fertőd - Szent Antal-kápolna (Esterházy-kastély)