Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, (sculpture).

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, (sculpture).

Schickel, William John, designer.

Kintz, Peter, II, fabricator.

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, (sculpture).

Replica of Grotto in Lourdes, France, (sculpture).

Dedicated 1896. Figure of Mary: 1970.

Digital Reference:

Sculptures: concrete; Grotto: fieldstone.

Mary: approx. 5 x 3 x 3 ft.; Kneeling figure: approx. H. 3 ft. 3 in. x W. 1 ft. x 3 in; Fountain: approx. H. 3 ft. 6 in. x W. 2 ft. 9 in.; Grotto: approx. 32 x 68 x 45 ft.

(Plaque at top of grotto:) FAVOR/REQUESTED AND GRANTED/FEBRUARY 26, 1918/HONOR AND GLORY/TO THE/BLESSED VIRGIN MARY/G.F.-A.M. (On fence:) IN MEMORY OF/PAUL PURCELL/CLASS OF '40/ (Large tablet:) TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES/THE REV. THOMAS CARROLL/RECTOR OF ST. JOSEPH CHURCH OIL CITY PA./TO WHOSE GENEROSITY THE ERECTION/OF THIS GROTTO IS DUE IMPLORES THE/GRACE OF A HAPPY DEATH/MAY OUR IMMACULATE MOTHER/HEAR HIS PRAYER AND/REWARD HIS DEVOTION/(illegible...) "... LADY OF SNOW. 1896." (Small copper plaque:) IN THANKSGIVING/FOR FAVOR GRANTED/AUGUST 3, 1954/M.A.M. unsigned

One-seventh scale fieldstone replica of the grotto in Lourdes, with figure of Mary placed in a high niche. She wear robes with a veil, her hands clasped at her chest in prayer, a rosary around her proper right arm, roses at her feet. Below her on the ground is a kneeling figure. In front of the grotto fence is a three-sided fountain with a relief of Jesus in robes, sitting with his hands held upward.

Religion -- New Testament -- Mary

Religion -- New Testament -- Christ

Outdoor Sculpture -- Indiana -- Notre Dame

Administered by University of Notre Dame, Facilities Operations, 100 Maintenance Center, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556

Located University of Notre Dame, Across the Lake Road, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556

Donation for grotto was made by Rev. Father Carroll in 1878, and excavation was made the same year. Peter Kintz II brought stones from his farm north of Notre Dame and built the grotto with his sons. William John Schickel designed the fountain. Two black stones from Lourdes are embedded in the proper left of the grotto. Sculpture of the Virgin Mary is the third or fourth since the building of the grotto, replaced in the 1970s. Unlike its predecessors, it has no halo. For related reading see: Thomas J. Schlereth's "The University of Notre Dame: A Portrait of its History and Campus," Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame, 1976, pg. 54-55; and Notre Dame Scholastic, Oct. 16, 1942 (77:4:12).

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Indiana survey, 1993.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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