The Grotto

 On Sunday, we drove from Dubuque, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with only one sight-seeing stop along the way. Sunday afternoon, we stopped at The Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa. 

    

This is an amazing grotto which actually consists of many different grottos, the purpose of which is to preserve in stone the story of the fall of mankind and his redemption in Christ. The Grotto was started in 1912 by a priest, and when the priest died 42 years later, others continued the work. The Grotto is made of stones, rocks, and minerals from all over the country and the world. We first visited the museum which showed some of these specimens and where they were from.

After visiting the museum, we walked around viewing the different grottos. The Grotto of the Ten Commandments contained a statue of Moses holding the tablet that the Ten Commandments were written on. This grotto contained a few stalactites.

The Paradise Lost Grotto depicted the Garden of Eden, and shows an angel driving Adam and Eve from the Garden.

There is a statue of St. Michael the Archangel in front of the Grotto. This white marble statue depicts the conquest of good over evil.

The Trinity Grotto contains three half circles representing the three Persons of the Trinity. 

Entrance to the Trinity Grotto

One of the half circles in the Trinity Grotto

The Bethlehem Grotto used 65 tons of petrified wood from Montana and the Dakotas as background to the traditional manger scene.

The Nazareth Grotto shows the modest boyhood home of Jesus and His parents. The statues in this Grotto are made of white quartzite to symbolize purity.

The Sermon on the Mount is depicted in gold mosaic against a background of green copper, where the Beatitudes are written.

The Stations of the Cross Grotto is entered through an Archway with two rows of Stations displayed on either side of a walkway.

   

The Gethsemane Grotto shows Jesus kneeling in this Garden located just outside of Jerusalem where He went to pray the night before His crucifixion. The statue in the Grotto depicts Jesus' eyes looking upward, seeming to pierce the heavens.

The Calvary scene shows a wooden cross atop a 40 foot high mountain, with Mary holding the body of Jesus at the foot of the cross.  

The Burial of Jesus depicts Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea laying Jesus in the tomb. This sculpture is carved from a single block of white Italian marble.

The Resurrection Grotto shows an angel pointing to an empty tomb, saying "He is Risen. He is not here." 

The Last Grotto that we visited was located in the Church next door. It is the Christmas Chapel depicting a nativity scene. The nativity scene contains material from every state in the country and from almost every country in the world. This shows the universality of God's outreach to man by His incarnation.

The whole experience was inspirational. It was awesome to see these different Grottos and these scenes depicted in beautiful stones and minerals. Here are some additional pictures.

Walking through this Grotto was a very enjoyable and peaceful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.