The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption is a religious shrine 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 ...

. A conglomeration of nine grottos depicting scenes in the life of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

, it contains a large collection of

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

s and

petrification In geology, petrifaction or petrification () is the process by which organic material becomes a fossil through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with minerals. Petrified wood typifies this proce ...

s and is believed to be the largest grotto in the world.Grotto of the Redemption
, agilitynut.com It is also "considered to be the world's most complete man-made collection of minerals,

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

s, and petrifications in one place."Iowa Tourism / Northwest / Grotto Of The Redemption - West Bend, Iowa
iowabeautiful.com The estimated value of the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

s and minerals which make up the Grotto is over $4,308,000.Grottos of the Midwest: Religion and Patriotism in Stone
, by Peyton Smith, csumc.wisc.edu Over 100,000 people visit each year. It includes a museum with precious and semiprecious stones from throughout the world, and photos and artifacts about the construction of the shrine.

History

Father Paul Dobberstein was a German immigrant ordained in 1897. He became critically ill with pneumonia and promised to build a

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

if she interceded for him.Grotto of the Redemption, West Bend, Iowa
roadsideamerica.com After his recovery, he began stockpiling rocks and precious stones.
, westbendgrotto.com Construction of the Grotto began in 1912
, catholicglobe.org and continued year round for 42 years. Father Dobberstein used the knowledge and skills gained during construction of his first grotto honoring

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, ...

while training at 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 ...

. His method was to set fancy rocks and

gem A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

s into

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

. In 1946, Father Louis Greving began helping Dobberstein with the construction. The Grotto covered an area the size of a city block when Dobberstein died in 1954. Matt Szerensce helped contribute the work until his retirement in 1959. The Grotto was maintained by Deacon Gerald Streit from 1994 until his retirement in the early 2000s. Father Dobberstein's works inspired Mathias Wernerus (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, starting the grotto-building movement in America.Grotto of the Redemption
, ww2.lafayette.edu/~niless In August 1, 2015, the Grotto was raised to the status of a diocesan shrine by R. Walker Nickless, Bishop of Sioux City, becoming the diocese's first designated religious shrine.

In popular culture

The Grotto of the Redemption is featured in the David Lynch film ''

The Straight Story ''The Straight Story'' is a 1999 biographical road drama film directed by David Lynch. It was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and collaborator, who also co-wrote the script with John E. Roach. It is based on the tru ...

''.

Gallery

Grotto of the Redemption 001.jpg, Entrance sign Grotto Arcade.jpg, View of Lower Arcade: Small Stations of the Cross Grotto of the Redemption Station 13.jpg, Station 13 The Grotto of the Redemption Pic1.jpg,

References

External links

Video Tour of the Grotto of the Redemption

Official website
{{NRHP in Palo Alto County, Iowa Grottoes Buildings and structures in Palo Alto County, Iowa Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Tourist attractions in Palo Alto County, Iowa Roadside attractions in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Palo Alto County, Iowa

History

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References

External links