Dickeyville Grotto
Encyclopedia
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
s and shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
s in Dickeyville
Dickeyville, Wisconsin
Dickeyville is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,043 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dickeyville is located at ....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison
Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison
The Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, is the Roman Catholic Diocese for the southwest corner of Wisconsin. It comprises Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, LaFayette, Marquette, Rock and Sauk counties. The area of the diocese is approximately...
, in Grant County, Wisconsin
Grant County, Wisconsin
Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 49,597. Its county seat is Lancaster. Estimates for 2008 show a population of 49,238...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The site is visited by 40,000 to 60,000 visitors per year. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 151 and Highway 35
Highway 35 (Wisconsin)
State Trunk Highway 35 is a Wisconsin state highway running north–south across western Wisconsin. It is in length, and is the longest state highway in Wisconsin...
.
The Dickeyville Grotto was built by Father Mathius Wernerus, the pastor of Dickeyville's Holy Ghost Parish, from 1920 to 1930. It was renovated between 1995 and 1997.
The site includes the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin, Christ the King Shrine, Grotto of the Sacred Heart, the Eucharistic Altar, the Holy Ghost Tree, the Patriotism Shrine and the Crucifixion Group. Nearly of the site's concrete structures are covered in shells, stones, tiles, wood, glass, gems and geodes from the area donated by parishioners.
While most of the site's components are religious in nature, the Patriotism Shrine includes depictions of Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. According to Anne Pryor, a cultural anthropologist, this shrine was erected to demonstrate the patriotism of Catholics; Protestant Americans of the time believed that Catholics' allegiance to the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
conflicted with their allegiance to the United States.
The Dickeyville Grotto was perhaps inspired by the Grotto of the Redemption
Grotto of the Redemption
The Grotto of the Redemption is a religious monument located in West Bend, Iowa, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sioux City. A conglomeration of nine grottos depicting scenes in life of Jesus, the Grotto contains a large collection of minerals and petrifications and is believed to be the largest...
in West Bend, Iowa
West Bend, Iowa
West Bend is a city in Kossuth and Palo Alto Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 834 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Bend is located at ....
which Paul Dobberstein
Paul Dobberstein
Paul Matthias Dobberstein was a German American priest and architect.Dobberstein was born in Rosenfeld, Germany to Francis "Frank" Dobberstein and Julia Froehlich....
began in 1912 and continued to work on until his death in 1954. Father Wernerus attended St. Francis Seminary and may have also been influenced by Dobberstein's first grotto which is found on seminary grounds.
The grotto inspired Paul and Matilda Wegner to build their grotto in Cataract, Wisconsin
Cataract, Wisconsin
Cataract is an unincorporated census-designated place in the town of Little Falls in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 186.-Attractions:...
.