“folk art religious grotto”
The Dickeyville Grotto and Shrines erected in the Village of Dickeyville, Wisconsin on Holy Ghost Parish grounds are the works of Father Matthias Wernerus, a Catholic Priest, Pastor of the Parish from 1918 to 1931. His handiwork in stone, built from 1925-1930, is dedicated to the unity of two great American ideals-love of God and love of Country. These religious and patriotic shrines were constructed without the use of blueprints. It is a creation in stone, mortar and bright colored objects-collected materials from all over the world. These include colored glass, gems, antique heirlooms of pottery or porcelain, stalagmites and stalactites, sea shells, starfish, petrified sea urchins and fossils, and a variety of corals, amber glass, agate, quartz, ores, such as iron, copper and lead, fool's gold, rock crystals, onyx, amethyst and coal, petrified wood and moss. There are several shrines in the Grotto garden. Besides the main shrine (which houses the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin), there is a patriotic shrine, the sacramental shrine of the Holy Eucharist, the Sacred Heart shrine, Christ the King shrine, Fatima shrine, and the Stations of the Cross. These shrines are located in a beautiful floral garden area surrounding the Holy Ghost Church.
I happened across the Dickeyville Grotto by accident and was delighted! If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a stop and a great free attraction to see while stretching your legs. Great for fan's of Iowa's Grotto of the Redemption!
Worth a stop if you have a 1/2 hour or so to spare for a photo op. Unique and beautiful folk art!
Definitely worth a stop. Beautiful artwork, walk around the gardens and view the different statues. Stop in the gift shop.
Stumbled upon this attraction while driving from Dubuque to Lacrosse. It was early and the gift shop wasn't open yet, but we walked around and viewed the numerous mosaic sculptures on site. An interesting piece of folk art and well worth visit if you are in the area.
i was here when i was a child and still remember how beautiful it was and want to go again
Impressive work of art. Worth the stop very close to the Highway.
The pictures don't do it justice. The variety of rocks and amount of effort are really incredible. Definitely a labor of love.
This is a neat, neat stop. The Pastor of the Dickeyville Parish spent about 5 years building these grottoes and gardens. He built all these structures in stone and mortar, then decorated everything with colored stone, shells, glass, gems, petrified wood, moss, fossils and ores. I can't decide if it's a tribute to vision or obsession.
What a cool stop! We have 4 kids ranging from 5-10 and they thought this was the coolest. They could identify so many items that were used to make this cool attraction. Definitely worth the 15 minute stop to stretch your legs and see something pretty amazing.
Fascinating place to visit. Happened upon this on a road trip and was not disappointed by getting out of the car and walking around The Grotto. The inside of the church is beautiful as well.
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Dickeyville Grotto
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 9:00 am - 4:15 am
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