Grottos Arizona

Lourdes Grottos in Arizona

This grotto at the San Xavier Mission near Tucson is the oldest one in the state of Arizona, built in 1908.

The first Lourdes grotto to be built in the state of Arizona was undoubtedly that at San Xavier Mission church near Tucson, which was constructed from a natural rocky hill next to the Mission church in 1908. See this post about the San Xavier Mission Lourdes Grotto.

Another early grotto was that built in the rocky hillside next to the Blessed Sacrament Church in Fort Defiance, shown below. That church was built in 1914, and the postcard, although not postmarked, was published by the Feicke-Desch Printing Co. of Cincinnati, which published other cards with the same back design starting around 1911-1913, so it’s probable that the grotto was constructed at the same time as the church.

A grotto can be spied in the rocky hillside beyond the Blessed Sacrament Church in Defiance, in this c.1920 postcard.

A postcard image I found online (since disappeared), which was accompanied by a caption that read “Grotto — Our Lady of Lourdes. St. Joseph’s Academy. Gift of Class of 1920. The Albertype Co., Brooklyn, N. Y.”

St. Joseph’s Academy in Prescott (operated 1885-1966) had a Lourdes grotto on their campus. It was likely built around 1920, according to an online postcard listing inscription (see caption).

This St. Joseph’s Academy yearbook from 1961 shows the grotto during a ceremony conducted by the local Knights of Columbus. (Classmates.com)

Lumiere Yearbook, 1925
Arizona Memory Project

There was a Lourdes grotto at the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary convent in Tucson, which was blessed in 1929, but I could not find any images of that grotto:

Many people attended the bazaar and fish pond at the Holy Cross academy Saturday and Sunday…. As announced, the statue of our Lady of Lourdes, which occupies the grotto within the walls of the convent, was blessed by Rev. Father Justin, pastor of the Santa Cruz church, Sunday evening. A beautiful hymn sung by the choir of the church introduced the ceremony, which was witnessed and enjoyed by a large group of people. The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary feel grateful toward all….
Arizona Daily Star, Friday, May 31, 1929, Page 9

The St. Thomas Indian Mission in Yuma still has a beautiful Lourdes grotto constructed of petrified wood. It was likely built by 1937, when a Yuma Weekly Sun article referred to it, and after the construction of the church in 1923.

Sacred Heart Church in Nogales still has a lovely grotto that was built in 1938 by two of the church sodality groups in honor of the Golden Jubilee of Father Louis Duval (1864-1947), who founded Sacred Heart Church, as well as Our Lady of Lourdes School (see below). Monsignor Duval is buried below the grotto, according to his wishes.

The Grotto at Sacred Heart Church in Nogales is a beautiful setting for several priests buried there, including Father Duval, who founded Sacred Heart Church. *(Nogales International, June 1, 1938)*

The Lourdes Catholic School in Nogales also has a Lourdes grotto above its front doorway facing the street; the school may have been built in 1940 when Lourdes Academy was established, although a 2007 diocese newsletter mentions that a new Lourdes grotto would be blessed “on the grounds of the school.

The Lourdes Catholic School grotto, above the front doorway of the school (from the school’s Facebook page)

And Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Benson has a very nice Lourdes grotto with a fountain (that no longer seems to be working) in front of the church. The front courtyard of the church is beautifully landscaped to provide some privacy for the grotto, which occupies the spot where the original church building stood, according to the church website. The old church (1894) served as a parish hall after the current church was built in 1948, until it was removed in the late 1960s. The grotto was completed and dedicated in March 1976.

The Lourdes grotto in the well landscaped front courtyard of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Benson is beautifully built and decorated, and makes a wonderful focal point in front of their church. *(Wikimedia)*

Below is a list of the Lourdes grottos, past and present, that I have located in Alabama (although there certainly must be others: more private ones that have not been mentioned in digitized newspapers or online).

Type of Institution Key:
C=Church S=School M=Convent/Monastery H=Hospital O=Orphanage/Old Home I=Independent Pilgrim Site T=Cemetery R=Retreat P=Private Residence X=Other

State	City	Institution	Type	Name	Date(s)/Decade	Extant?	Address
Arizona	Benson	Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church	C	Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes	1976	yes	386 E 5th St, Benson, AZ 85602
Arizona	Fort Defiance	Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church	C	Grotto	c.1914	yes?	173 Main St, Fort Defiance, AZ 86504
Arizona	Nogales	Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School	S		2007	yes	555 E Patagonia Hwy, Nogales, AZ 85621
Arizona	Nogales	Sacred Heart Church	C		1938	yes	272 N Rodriguez St, Nogales, AZ 85621
Arizona	Prescot	St. Joseph’s Academy	S		1919	no	131 N Summit Ave, Prescott, AZ 86301
Arizona	Tucson	private, Luis Gutierrez	P	Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes	c.2008
Arizona	Tucson	San Xavier Mission	C	Grotto Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes	1908	yes	1950 W San Xavier Rd, Tucson AZ 85746
Arizona	Tucson	Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent	M	Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes	by 1929	no	1220 S 6th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85713
Arizona	Yuma	St. Thomas Indian Mission	C		by 1937	yes	350 Picacho Rd, Winterhaven, CA 92283