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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

outdoor

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

and

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

located in the Madison South district of

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, 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 The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nun ...

, Order of Friar Servants of Mary. A large

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

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

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

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 Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

, 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. is ...

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 the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, 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 is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, wi ...

, 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 (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

, 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 consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

recreation of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

's ''

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Mary (mother of Jesus), Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the mortal body of Jesus Christ after his Descent from the Cross. It is most often found in sculpture. ...

'' 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 many of those in the ...

, and

Mount St. Helens Mount St. Helens (known as Lawetlat'la to the local 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 States ...

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 is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

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, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') 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 ...

. 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" Places * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France Other uses * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a governm ...

Polish Shrine ** Dambana, Filipino Faith Shrine **

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe (), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (), is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with four Marian apparitions to Juan Diego and one to his uncle, Juan Bernardino reported in December 1531, when t ...

Shrine **

Our Lady of La Vang Our Lady of La Vang () refers to a reported Marian apparition at a time when Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Cat ...

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, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

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, United States, erected in 1970, and designed by noted architect Philip Johnson. ...

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

Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (; ) is one the Marian devotions, devotional names or titles under which the Catholic Church venerates the Mary, mother of Jesus, Virgin Mary. The name commemorates a series of Lourdes apparitions, 18 apparitions reported by ...

'' * ''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 (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nu ...

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