The gellért hill cave is part of a network of caves in Gellert hill. The cave is called "cave of St. John" by the name of a hermit who lived there, and are believed to have used the natural thermal waters of the lake next to the cave to heal the sick. It is likely that these are the same waters that fall into the gellért thermal bath pools.

In the 19th century the cave was a shelter for the poor family, which, to the extent it could have constructed the natural housing. The cave entrance was closed. An illustration of this period of history can be seen in the picture Mihai Myra, dated 1860-ies and photos of györgy Klesha 1877.

In the 1920s, a group of monks, inspired during a pilgrimage stone structures of Lourdes in France, arranged the cave on his own and redid the entrance. From 1926 until 1951, the cave served as a chapel and even a monastery. During the Second world war it housed a field hospital of the German army. In 1945 the Red army liberated Budapest. For six years the cave has continued to perform religious functions, but in 1951 as part of a strengthening of repressions directed against the Catholic Church, the public security organs carried out searches in the chapel. The cave was walled up, the elder brother of Ferenc Weser sentenced to death, the monks to prison terms of up to ten years.

The chapel was re-opened on August 27, 1989 – thick concrete wall covering the entrance, was destroyed. By 1992, the chapel was restored and put in order. Currently in a cave, the services are held, despite the fact that it is a tourist attraction.