Lourdes Grottos in New Hampshire

This 1930s postcard shows a grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountains in North Conway, New Hampshire. While it is not named a grotto of Lourdes, it clearly includes a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. I’m including it on this page because I could find only two Lourdes grottos in New Hampshire.

I could find only two Lourdes grottos in the state of New Hampshire, neither of which still exists. But I’m hoping to find more–please contact me if you know of others in New Hampshire. Thanks!

Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountains, North Conway (c.1930, not extant)

The Our Lady of the Mountains Church in North Conway / Bretton Woods was built in 1908, and at some point, perhaps by around 1930, a small grotto with a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and garden were added. The postcard shown above was printed by 1936, the earliest postmark date I have seen.

While technically not named a Grotto of Lourdes, the statue in the postcard image is clearly a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, so I’m including it on this page of New Hampshire Lourdes grottos.

I could find absolutely noting about this grotto shrine online or in newspapers, and it is no longer on the grounds.

St. Michael’s School, Exeter (1952, not extant)

A 1952 newspaper article announced:

Grotto Dedicated In Exeter Honoring Rev. Daniel Cotter: The three-day observance of the golden jubilee of the Very Rev. Daniel J. Cotter, VF, pastor of St. Michael’s Church for the last 34 years, began yesterday.

More than 500 persons attended the dedication of a grotto patterned after that of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. It bears a plaque with Father Cotter’s name and the dates 1902-1952 engraved on it.

The grotto was built on the grounds of St. Michael’s School unbeknown to Father Cotter by James McAllister, George Thurston and John Mazalewski assisted by Octave, Lionel, Harold, Eugene and Jerome Carbonneau, Joseph Chatigny and Joseph Plouffe.

The Portsmouth Herald, Oct 20, 1952

I could not find any photos of the grotto at St. Michael’s School online, but I did find a news photo of a 1956 procession to the grotto:

A large crowd of St. Michael’s clergy, parishioners, and students processed to the school grotto for a May crowning of Our Lady on a fine May day in 1956. (The Portsmouth Herald, May 23, 1956)