Paul Matthias Dobberstein (September 21, 1872 – July 24, 1954) was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. Dobberstein was born in

Rosenfeld, Germany Rosenfeld is a town in the Zollernalbkreis district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Rosenfeld became a possession of the County, later Duchy, of Württemberg, which made the town the seat of . In 1808, that district was dissolved and Ros ...

to Francis "Frank" Dobberstein and Julia Froehlich. Father Dobberstein was educated at the university of Deutsch-Krone in Germany and at the St. Francis Seminary, in

St. Francis, Wisconsin St. Francis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,161 at the 2020 census. History St. Francis Seminary was established in what is now the city in 1845. The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi establishe ...

. He was ordained on June 30, 1897.

Grottoes

Father Dobberstein is most known for designing and building The Shrine of the

Grotto of the Redemption The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is a religious shrine in West Bend, Iowa, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City. A conglomeration of nine grottos depicting scenes in the life of Jesus, it contains a large collection of minerals a ...

, in

West Bend, Iowa West Bend is a city in Kossuth County, Iowa, Kossuth and Palo Alto County, Iowa, Palo Alto (originally) counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 791 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History West Bend got its ...

, in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City ( la, Diœcesis Siopolitanensis) is the Roman Catholic diocese for the northwestern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. It is a suffragan see of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The cathedral ...

. This is actually a series of several connected grottoes. At the neighboring church of Saints Peter and Paul, he also created a fountain and, inside, a majestic nativity scene. Other religious grottoes designed and built by Dobberstein include: * Sacred Heart Church:

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

* Immaculate Conception Grotto:

Carroll, Iowa Carroll is a city in, and the county seat of, Carroll County, Iowa, United States, along the Middle Raccoon River. The population was 10,321 in the 2020 census. History Carroll was laid out in 1867. It took its name from Carroll County, which ...

(now gone) * Franciscan Convent:

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

* Shrine in the St. Rose of Viterbo Convent of the

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women whose motherhouse, St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse. The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetua ...

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

(now gone) * Catholic Cemetery: Wesley, Iowa * John Brown Park:

Humboldt, Iowa Humboldt is a city in Humboldt County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,792 at the time of the 2020 census, gaining 340 people over the 2000 total. History Frank A. Gotch Park (just south of present-day Humboldt and Dakota City) was a ...

Father Dobberstein's works inspired

Mathias Wernerus Mathias, a given name and a surname which is a variant of Matthew (name), may refer to: Places * Mathias, West Virginia * Mathias Township, Michigan People with the given name or surname ''Mathias'' In music * Mathias Eick, Norwegian Jazz Musici ...

(who also attended St. Francis Seminary) to build the Dickeyville Grotto in

Dickeyville, Wisconsin Dickeyville is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,061 at the 2010 census. The Dickeyville Grotto is located in the heart of the village. History Dickeyville was not formally platted. The village was named ...

in 1930,Grotto of the Redemption
, agilitynut.com thus starting the grotto building movement in America.
, ww2.lafayette.edu/~niless

Pastoral career

In addition to his prolific works of art and stone, he led a busy life as the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul in West Bend for more than 57 years. His signature appears on over a thousand baptism records from his time in the parish.

References

*''An Explanation of the Grotto of the Redemption''

External links

West Bend Grotto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobberstein, Paul 1872 births 1954 deaths German emigrants to the United States People from Palo Alto County, Iowa People from the Kingdom of Württemberg 20th-century American architects Architects from Iowa 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests Catholics from Iowa 19th-century American Roman Catholic priests