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 The Ave Maria Grotto is located fifty miles north of Birmingham near Cullman
Alabama. Known as "sermons in stone" the 125 miniature replicas of sacred Roman
and Palestinian sites as well as American landmarks were constructed by Brother
Joseph Zoettel, O.S.B. from 1912 to 1958.
The grotto sculptures are constructed from cement and stone and seashells on
the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, the only Benedictine monastery in Alabama. The
sculptures were originally located in the gardens surrounding the Abbey; however,
the attention of hundreds of visitors making pilgrimages to the site soon
warranted moving the replicas to their present locations on a hillside behind the
Abbey. The hillside was formerly a stone quarry and the partially excavated
spaces created enclosures for the miniature shrines. |
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The main grotto features a cave like structure with artificial stalactites
surrounding the statues of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ flanked by the two
founders of the Benedictine order, St. Benedictus and St. Scholastica. The cave
is 27 feet high, 27 feet deep and 27 feet wide. The site as a whole is named
after this grotto which is on the lower level of the hillside.
One approaches the main grotto by a walkway from the back of a visitors shop.
The first shrine is Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Shortly after this
is a tiled structure surmounted by cement leaves and glass balls. This is Brother
Joseph's Tower of Thanks, constructed in gratitude to the many friends from all over the world who sent
bits of colored glass, tiles, chandelier prisms, sea shells, and in this case,
glass balls from Ireland used as floats for fishing nets. |
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The Tower of Thanks is followed by a shrine to St. Peter and
a replica of Monserrat, a Spanish Benedictine Abbey. The next series of
structures presents an interesting juxtaposition of tributes. There are two
buildings from his birthplace in Landshut, Bavaria followed by the Statue of
Liberty, a tribute to his new country. A tribute to the Red Cross workers who
served during World War 1 is curiously juxtaposed against a Temple of Fairies
and an historical look at St. Bernard Abbey, founded in 1891.
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Along the hillside are several examples of mission churches throughout the
world interspersed with American landmarks. Buildings from ancient Rome include
the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Vestal Temple and several basilicas. St. Peters
Basilica in Rome is one of Brother Joseph's most famous reproductions. The city
of Jerusalem and Scenes from the Holy Land are situated on the same hillside to
the right of the main grotto.
As one walks up a pathway away from the hillside shrines there are other
replicas including shrines to Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes and Our
Lady of Guadalupe. There are homages to veterans of American wars and there is a
replica of the World Peace Church erected in Hiroshima, Japan "dedicated to world
peace in hopes that no more atom bombs will ever be used again." |
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The material above is adapted from the following texts:
- Father Aloysius Plaisance, OSB., Ph.D. A Self Guided Tour of The Ave Maria
Grotto. St. Bernard Abbey, Cullman, Alabama.
- Sermons in Stone: The Life and Work of Brother Joseph. St. Bernard Abbey,
Cullman Alabama.
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