Lourdes Grottos in Colorado
I was able to find about a dozen Lourdes grottos in the state of Colorado, both existing and historical. The earliest was likely the one constructed on the Regis University campus in Denver in the early 1890s, shown below:
Regis was established around 1887, and according to the University’s website, a Brother Ben Tovani built the Lourdes grotto:
In 1891, Br. Ben Tovani asked for, and received, permission to transform pieces of stone and timber left over from the construction of Main Hall into a place of prayer and contemplation on what is now Regis’ Northwest Denver Campus. The result of his work was officially named the Grotto to Our Lady, but it was better known as Brother Ben’s Garden in honor of his tireless work tending and cultivating the spot for some 58 years. His effort ended only when Brother Ben’s health no longer allowed him to work in his garden.
Regis’ Our Lady of Loretto Grotto receives impressive makeover, 2021
The original grotto at Regis was not maintained after Brother Ben became unable to do it, and it deteriorated over time. It was replaced by another Marian shrine in 1950, which has been restored and was rededicated in 2015 to the spirit of Loretto, to honor the Sisters of Loretto, who oversaw Loretto Heights College, which became part of Regis in 1988.
The oldest Colorado Lourdes grotto still standing is the one at the charming wooden church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chapel in Manitou Springs, shown in the photo at top, a postcard image postmarked 1908. The church website states that the grotto was built in 1905.
A number of other postcards of the OLPH Lourdes grotto have been published:
Both the chapel (a lovely, human-scale church built in 1889, the oldest church in the Diocese of Colorado Springs) and the grotto have been beautifully restored. God willing, they will serve the people of Manitou Springs for another century.
An indoor grotto likely stood in Sacred Heart Church in Colorado Springs (although it no longer seems to exist, and I could not find any photos of it online).
A shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes that is a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, France, has just been erected in the new Sacred Heart church of Colorado Springs, Colo. The shrine was recently blessed by Right Rev. J. H. Tihen, D.D., Bishop of Denver.
Our Sunday Visitor (Omaha, Nebraska) Aug 11, 1922
Below is a list of the Lourdes grottos, past and present, that I have located in Colorado (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) | Extant? | Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Antonito/Conejos | Our Lady of Guadelupe Church | C | Gruta a la Immaculada Concepcion | 1954 | yes | 6633 Co Rd 13, Antonito, CO 81120 |
| Colorado | Cascade | Holy Rosary Chapel (basement) | C | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | c.1930 | yes | 4435 Holiday Trail, Cascade, CO 80809 |
| Colorado | Colorado Springs | El Pomar Retreat House, Sisters of Charity | R | 1948 | no | 10 Lake Cir, Colorado Springs, CO 80906 | |
| Colorado | Colorado Springs | Mount Saint Francis Convent | M | Lourdes Grotto | 1965 | yes | 7665 Assisi Heights, Colorado Springs, CO 80919 |
| Colorado | Colorado Springs | Sacred Heart Church | C | 1922 | no | 2030 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 | |
| Colorado | Del Norte | St. Joseph Hospital, Sisters of St. Joseph | H | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1938 | no | 1280 Grand Ave, Del Norte, CO 81132 |
| Colorado | Denver | Our Lady of Lourdes Classical School | S | 1948 | yes | 2256 S Logan St, Denver, CO 80210 | |
| Colorado | Denver | Little Sisters of the Poor Sacred Heart Home (old) | O | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | aft.1917 | no | 3629 W 29th Ave, Denver, CO 80211 |
| Colorado | Denver | Little Sisters of the Poor Sacred Heart Home (new) | O | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 2011 | yes | 3629 W 29th Ave, Denver, CO 80211 |
| Colorado | Denver | Mercy Hospital | H | Grotto | c.1920s | no | 1652 Fillmore St, Denver, CO 80206 |
| Colorado | Denver | Regis University | S | Grotto to Our Lady | 1890s? | no | 3333 Regis Blvd, Denver, CO 80221 |
| Colorado | Golden? | St. Frances Xavier, Mother Cabrini Shrine | I | Grotto, Grotto Chapel | 1929 | yes | 20189 Cabrini Blvd, Golden, CO 80401 |
| Colorado | Manitou | Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | C | 1905 | yes | 218 Ruxton Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829 | |
| Colorado | Pueblo | Holy Rosary Church | C | 1983 | yes | 2400 W 22nd St, Pueblo, CO 81003 | |