The National Sanctuary of our Sorrowful Mother, popularly known as The Grotto, is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

outdoor

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

and

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

located in the Madison South district of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, United States. Constructed in 1924, the sanctuary covers , set both at the foot of, and atop, a cliff. It is a ministry of the Servite Friars, Order of Friar Servants of Mary. A large

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

hall whose main chamber is at clifftop level extends down to the foot of the cliff; the

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

on the hill is visible many miles away. In addition to a church, there are several thousand feet of trails, including a trail of the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

, along which visitors may pass in contemplation through

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s. The Grotto also features a full-service Conference Center, and a Gift Shop.

History

The Grotto was established in 1924 by Friar Ambrose Mayer, a native of

Ontario, Canada Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, who was sent to the United States where he was a Servite pastor for the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon. Upon moving to Portland, Mayer found acreage located outside

Northeast Portland Northeast Portland is one of the six major divisions of Portland, Oregon. Northeast Portland contains a diverse collection of neighborhoods. For example, while Irvington and the Alameda Ridge feature some of the oldest and most expensive homes i ...

that was at the time owned by the

Union Pacific Railroad Company The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

, and had been put up for sale to be developed into residential property. Mayer made a downpayment of $3,000 and purchased the property in 1923. A national campaign raised the balance of the funds needed to pay for the land. Mayer envisioned The Grotto as a natural

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

, and construction began in September 1923. A cave was carved out of the 110-foot

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

cliff, and a statue of Mary holding Jesus's crucified body was installed. Several years later, a

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

recreation of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

's ''

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

'' was also installed. Three thousand people gathered for the first mass at the Grotto on May 29, 1924. In 1955, the Chapel of Mary was dedicated on the grounds, and in 1983 the Grotto was designated as a National Sanctuary. The grounds of the Grotto include 62 acres of pathways, forest, and an upper-level

situated above the cliff, which are accessed through an elevator built against the cliff wall. The upper botanical gardens also provide expansive views of the Columbia River Valley, the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

, and

Mount St. Helens Mount St. Helens (known as Lawetlat'la to the indigenous Cowlitz people, and Loowit or Louwala-Clough to the Klickitat) is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United St ...

Vandalism

On November 30, 2012, unknown vandals broke into the grounds and vandalized multiple statues. Statues depicting St. Joseph and baby Jesus were

behead Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

ed, and a statue of the Virgin Mary was toppled over and also had its head removed. All of the statues were made of centuries-old

Carrara marble Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa ...

. Two angel statues were also damaged. The statues have since been replaced or restored.

Features

;Plaza Level * Chapel of Mary * The Grotto * Stations of the Cross * statues * Gift Shop * Conference Center ; Upper Level Gardens * Meditation Chapel * shrines ** Lithuanian Wayside Shrine **

Our Lady of Częstochowa Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulat ...

Polish Shrine ** Dambana, Filipino Faith Shrine **

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

Shrine **

Our Lady of La Vang Our Lady of La Vang ( vi, Đức Mẹ La Vang) refers to a reported Marian apparition at a time when Catholics were persecuted and killed in Vietnam. The Shrine of our Lady of La Vang (Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang) is situated in what is t ...

Shrine * Peace Garden * Mysteries of the Rosary * Monastery * Rose Garden * St. Anne's Chapel * Via Matris

Sculptures

The

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

has 23 statues and memorials registered at The Grotto: * ''Glorious Mysteries'' * ''

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial is a monument to United States President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA) erected in 1970, and designed by noted architect Philip Johnson. Design Th ...

'' * ''Joyful Mysteries'' * ''Kneeling Angels'' * ''Lithuanian Wayside Shrine'' * ''Marilyn Moyer Meditation Chapel Fountain'' * ''

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, o ...

'' * ''Peace Pole'' * ''Pietà with Two Angels'' * ''Sacred Heart'' * ''Sacred Heart Shrine'' * ''Saints in Niches'' * ''Sorrowful Mysteries'' * ''Sorrows and Joys of St. Joseph'' * ''St. Joseph'' * ''St. Jude Shrine'' * ''St. Philip Benizi'' * ''Stations of the Cross'' * ''Statue of Mary'' * ''The Assumption of Our Blessed Mother'' * ''The Calvary Statue'' * ''The Christus'' * ''Via Matris''

Events

There are various events at The Grotto throughout the year, as well as meetings and seminars. Every December The Grotto puts up a huge light display along its trails. The first annual "Festival of Lights" first took place in 1988 and lasted for ten nights. It has since been expanded in scope and duration, and the 2023 festival will run for 36 days. Besides the light displays, there are nightly concerts, caroling, and other family-oriented entertainment. More than 60,000 people attended the Festival each year.

Monastery

The Grotto's 1936 monastery houses friars of the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary ( la, Ordo Servorum Beatae Mariae Virginis; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original Catholic mendicant orders. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothe ...

References

External links

The Grotto
(official website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Grotto, The Cliffs of the United States Culture of Portland, Oregon Madison South, Portland, Oregon Landmarks in Oregon Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Roman Catholic national shrines Roman Catholic national shrines in the United States Roman Catholic shrines