As if the world largest can of beer wasn’t enough excitement for a fairly rural area, just a few miles east of the campground was Dickeyville, and Dickeyville’s claim to fame is the Dickeyville Grotto.
I always thought that a grotto was a cave. It turns out that the definition is a cave, and it is usually a “small picturesque cave, especial and artificial one in a perk or a garden and it can also be an indoor structure resembling a cave.
I parked Bart at the curb and walked over to examine the grotto. Its construction began in 1925 and it was dedicated in 1930.
Father Matthias Wernerus was the man with the vision to build shrines to religion and patriotism in stone. This portion of his handiwork is a shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.
I borrowed this photo from their website. It was dark inside and hard to make a good photo with my phone.
Father Wernerus used whatever he could get in creating the grottos. Sometimes he used rather standard ceramic tiles.
Other times he used shells, glass, corals and rocks.
I particularly like this ring of geodes. I remember my fruitless geode hunt in Arizona.
Ringing the main structure are niches with altars to various saints.
The back of the shrine is covered with the tree of life. On top of the tree of life is spelled out “fortitude.”
Flanking the tree on the right and left are various positive traits.
When I was visiting, I assumed they were the seven virtues. When I was writing up this post, I realized that there were more than seven listed. I went looking for other lists of virtues, to see if Father Wernerus had used them. I found the twelve virtues promoted by Aristotle, but there were thirteen spelled out on the wall. So, I guess these could be called “Father Wernerus’ good ideas.”
On the other hand, when I looked a little harder on the website, I saw that he represented the Seven Gifts and the 12 Fruits of the Holy Ghost on the outside walls. I guess I didn’t look hard enough.
After examining the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin, I headed down the walkway to see the patriotic shrine.
George Washington was at one end.
Abraham Lincoln was at the other end.
Right in the middle was Christopher Columbus.
There was also a Unity Bell. I assume it was to honor the end of the Civil War.
There were other structures scattered about the grounds.
That looks like a birdhouse. I wonder if they even clear out the old nests?
I headed back toward the church. This was really quite an undertaking. I wondered why Father Wernerus began this labor. According to the website, this is his explanation:
“Many reasons urged me to put up ‘Religion in stone and Patriotism in Stone.’ The main reason why it was done I could not reveal. The last day will tell you more about that. I can only say that Almighty God and his Blessed Mother, in whose honor we worked, blessed us in such a way that ‘we built better than we knew.'”
As I headed back to Bart, I noticed this sign:
I went down to take a look and I actually bought something.
After I stuck the 48th state sticker on my map, I had started to think that my full time traveling life was coming to an end.
Buying this roll of cloth let me know that I was ready to settle down.
After much reflection,
I knew it was time to go home.