Ave Maria Grotto facts for kids
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Ave Maria Grotto
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St. Peters Church in Rome model at the Ave Maria Grotto
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 Location in Alabama
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| Location | St. Bernard Abbey Cullman, Alabama |
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| NRHP reference No. | 84000610 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | January 19, 1984 |
The Ave Maria Grotto is a special park located in Cullman, Alabama. It's a beautiful garden built inside an old rock quarry on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey. This unique park features 125 miniature models of some of the world's most famous religious buildings. It's like taking a tiny trip around the world! This amazing place was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on February 24, 1976. It also became part of the National Register of Historic Places on January 19, 1984.
Contents
History
The Monk Who Built a Miniature World
The incredible stone and concrete models you see at the Ave Maria Grotto were all made by one person: Brother Joseph Zoettl. He was a Benedictine monk who lived at St. Bernard Abbey. Brother Joseph spent about 50 years working on this project. For the last 30 years of his life (from 1932 to 1961), he worked on it almost every day.
He used all sorts of interesting materials for his models. He found discarded building supplies, old bricks, and pieces of marble. He also used tiles, pipes, and seashells. Even stranger items like plastic animals, costume jewelry, toilet bowl floats, and old cold cream jars became parts of his tiny buildings!
Brother Joseph's Life
Brother Joseph was born in 1878 in a place called the Kingdom of Bavaria. When he was young, he had an accident that caused him to be slightly hunched. As a teenager, he moved to the United States and settled in northern Alabama. Soon after, he began studying at the new Benedictine monastery of St. Bernard. He officially became a monk there in 1897.
Brother Joseph was a very quiet person. He worked at the monastery's power plant, shoveling coal. He rarely left Alabama during his life. He passed away in 1961, leaving behind his amazing miniature world.
Exploring the Grotto
The miniature buildings are spread out along a winding trail in a forested area. The path goes down a steep hillside, where you'll find several groups of buildings. Many of the models are famous Roman Catholic cathedrals and monasteries. You can see tiny versions of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the Monte Cassino Abbey, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
About half of the hillside shows buildings and scenes from the Holy Land. This is why the grotto is sometimes called "Jerusalem in Miniature." But it's not just religious buildings! You'll also find models of other famous places. These include the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Spanish missions, and German castles. There's even a model of Hansel and Gretel's Temple of the Fairies. Brother Joseph even made a tiny version of the St. Bernard Abbey power station, where he worked!
Near the end of the path, you'll see a model of the Tower of Babel. This tower from the Bible reminds us of a story where people tried to build a tower to reach the heavens. Close by, there's also a "Tower of Thanks." This tower shows Brother Joseph's gratitude for all the help he received while building his sculptures.
Even though the models have lots of tiny details, their sizes are sometimes a bit different from the real buildings. Some towers or parts might be larger or smaller than they should be. The grotto also has a central artificial cave. This cave is called the Ave Maria Grotto itself. It has pretend stalactites hanging from the ceiling and statues of the Virgin Mary and various monks and nuns.
See also
In Spanish: Ave Maria Grotto para niños
