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The Grotto of the
Redemption West Bend, Iowa |
| The Grotto of the Redemption is the life work of Fr. Paul Dobberstein a Catholic Priest (1872-1954). For a decade, he gathered rocks and precious stones from around the world and began construction in 1912. For 42 years, he created hundreds of intricate rock settings that form the walls and ceilings of this Grotto. Matt Szerence, a parishioner, and Fr. Louis Greving, the next Catholic pastor in West Bend, worked side-by-side with Fr. Dobberstein and furthered the work after his death. |
 This
is one of the biggest pages on this web site with the most photos. The photos
have been pre-loaded to show up faster, BUT they will still take awhile
to load. However, this is a very unique place and worth spending the time
viewing these photos. |
Statue of Fr. Dobberstein, erected in 1992,
to commemorate the 80th anniversary of |
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| This is the largest grotto in the world. It has 9 separate grottos, each depicting a scene in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The Grotto is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. | |
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A CLOSE-UP OF THE COLUMN AT THE LEFT 
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Then the two RV Gypsies came
across an area with red roses dedicated to the loss of visitor' loved
ones. |
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So Karen and Lee buy a
rose for their beloved son Brian Lee Duquette. |
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 The
rose and card in loving memory of Brian Lee
Duquette |
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the rose sticking up in
the middle is in loving memory of Brian Lee Duquette |
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| St. Michael, the Archangel - statue represents the conquest of good over evil. Here, good is St. Michael, the Archangel and evil is the devil being crushed under the foot of Michael. | |
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Moses with the 10 Commandments |
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| Here stands Moses giving to the world the Ten Commandments of God. A young man is asking Jesus through the 8-foot question mark on the ground, "Good Master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?" Jesus answers him with the words on the wall, "If thou wilt enter into life - keep the commandments." | |
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This grotto contains stalactites
centered overhead with many rosettes, and rock clusters found on the walls |
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13th Station / Calvary |
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| The statue on the 40-foot high mountain-like structure is similar to Michelangelo's Pieta which is in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It shows Mary holding the body of Christ after it was taken down from the cross. Beneath the cross is a 36-inch cross-section of petrified wood from Arizona. | |
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statue of our Risen Savior with Mary
Magdalene at His feet. |
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Jesus Being Laid in the Tomb |
Greeting Angel - In the Grotto of the
Resurrection there is an empty tomb with an angel pointing to the lid
of the tomb on which is written: “He is risen, He is not here.” |
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| Stable in Bethlehem -This grotto is made of 65-tons of petrified wood from Montana and the Dakotas and shows the traditional manger scene of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. Fr. Greving erected this grotto in 1956 and the statuary arrived in the early 1970's/ | |
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| Just a few photos of the many intricate rock and shell settings that form the walls and ceilings of this Grotto. | |
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Some of the arches on the museum behind the Grotto - built by Fr. Greving in the 60's and 70's. The exterior walls are done in polished agates from all over the world. It took 16-years of cutting and polishing on these agates alone. |
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Sts. Peter
and Paul's Catholic Church and a waterless fountain in front of the Church,. |
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| The Christmas Chapel Built in 1927, and located inside Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, this grotto represents the birthplace and the Nativity of Our Divine Savior. Specimens that Fr. Dobberstein considered too delicate to withstand the weather and changing seasons were incorporated into this grotto. Of particular note is the 300 lb. Brazilian Amethyst inset in the wall above the Christ child. | |
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Karen and
Lee sat here a long time, shedding tears of sorrow remembering their beloved
son, Brian Lee Duquette |
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A few of the beautiful
flowers in front of the Grotto |
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