Grotto of Lourdes at the Shrine of St Anthony du Padua - San Antonio, TX
N 29° 30.132 W 098° 28.230
14R E 551321 N 3263743
This man-made grotto is a compact replica of the cave entrance in Lourdes, France where a young woman saw apparitions of Mary, the Blessed Mother of God, as many as 18 times.
Waymark Code: WM12YPX
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/08/2020
Views: 6
in 1858, near Lourdes, France, a young woman named Bernadette Soubirous was gathering firewood in the area and was at the mouth of the cave when she saw the apparition of the Mary, Mother of God. Over the next several weeks, Bernadette returned to the cave entrance and testified to having many other apparitions. After one of the appearances, Bernadette discovered a spring that began to flow from the cave. News of the apparitions and of the spring waters began to spread. The Catholic authorities took great interest in these events and documented the testimony and experiences of Bernadette and other effected by the grotto and its spring. By January 1862, the local Bishop of Tarbes endorsed the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France. In July 1876, Pope Pius !X granted Canonical Coronation to the image of Mary that was in the Basilica in Lourdes; and, in 1933, Bernadette Soubirous was canonized as a Catholic saint by Pope Paul XI.
From these events from the 1850s through 1870s, Catholics around the world have made many replicas representing the young woman seeing the vision of the Mother of God at the entrance of the grotto at Lourdes. Catholic mass is often given in the larger versions of the Grotto of Lourdes, and at the smaller, more intimate replications of the Grotto, individuals come to pray privately.
The Grotto of Lourdes replicas have some common features: the statue of the Blessed Mother of God is on in a high nook on the right side of the cave wall, the young woman is kneeling in prayer and adoration on the floor of the cave but is looking up at the vision. Mary is dressed in white with a blue sash around her and has yellow roses at her feet.
This Grotto of Lourdes at the Shrine of St. Anthony du Padua happens to have been built by the well respected artisan Dionicio Rodriguez. He also created the 14 Stations of the Cross that are right next to this Grotto of Lourdes. The grotto is about 14.5 feet across and about 18 feet deep. The roof and the back wall have a rounded shape and are covered with local limestone rocks and sea shells. Mary is on a high ledge on tieback right ledge in this cave . The young woman is kneeling on the floor close to the left side of the cave.
Link to the Wikipedia reference of the Lady of Lourdes :
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Link to the National Register of Historical Places for this Grotto of Lourdes:
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