For a grotto
Grotto statues: Our Lady of Lourdes and St Bernadette
Almost every Irish parish has one: a rock grotto with Our Lady of Lourdes in a niche above and St Bernadette kneeling below. Here is the story behind it, and how to choose statues for a grotto of your own.
Why Ireland is full of grottos
Between 11 February and 16 July 1858, Our Lady appeared eighteen times to a fourteen-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous, at the grotto of Massabielle outside Lourdes in the south of France. On 25 March she told Bernadette, in the local dialect, “I am the Immaculate Conception”. A spring rose where Bernadette dug at Our Lady’s request, and Lourdes became one of the great pilgrimage places of the world. The Church keeps the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on 11 February.
Irish pilgrims have gone to Lourdes in great numbers for generations, and they came home wanting a little of it in their own place. Grottos were built beside churches, in convent and school grounds, at crossroads and in back gardens. Many were built in 1954, the Marian Year declared by Pope Pius XII for the centenary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and they are still where people gather to pray the Rosary in May and October.
Statues for the grotto
Our Lady of Lourdes, St Bernadette, and the grotto collection, in resin and marble.
Our Lady of Lourdes
Hand-painted resin
From €55
Our Lady of Lourdes and St Bernadette
Hand-painted resin · the pair
€240
Our Lady of Lourdes (Hand-Painted)
Hand-painted resin · shaded finish
€95
St Bernadette
Hand-painted resin
€120
Our Lady of Knock
Hand-carved marble
€1,600
Our Lady of Lourdes (Fine Detail)
Hand-carved marble · 3ft 3in
€2,400
Our Lady of Lourdes (Blue Ribbon)
Hand-carved marble · blue ribbon
€2,100
The traditional grotto arrangement
Our Lady of Lourdes, above
Standing in a niche in the rock, in a white veil and gown with a blue sash and a rosary over her arm, her hands joined and her eyes raised. She is set high, as she was at Massabielle, so that people look up to her. See Our Lady of Lourdes.
St Bernadette, below
Kneeling, usually with her rosary, looking up at Our Lady. She is placed lower and to one side, at a distance that makes the two figures read as a scene. See St Bernadette.
Or both together
For a smaller grotto, a single piece of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Bernadette keeps the scene in one statue and avoids having to balance two.
Candles, flowers and water
A ledge or stand for candles, kept well away from the statues, and room for flowers. Some grottos have a small font or basin as a reminder of the spring.
Sizing statues for a grotto
Measure the niche Our Lady will stand in — its height, its width and its depth — before you choose her. She should fill it without touching the top; a figure that is too small looks lost in the rock, and one that is too tall looks squeezed. If St Bernadette is a separate figure, she is usually chosen smaller than Our Lady, because she kneels and because she is further forward.
Every statue page lists height, width, depth and weight. If your grotto has an unusual niche, or the statue you need is not in the catalogue, marble can be carved to order at the size the niche needs.
Replacing statues in an old grotto
Many parish and school grottos built in the 1950s still have their original statues, now cracked, faded or broken. When replacing them, measure the old figures before they come down, photograph the niche, and check the base they stood on — it may need re-levelling. Send us those measurements and photographs and we will tell you honestly what will fit.
Marble is the material for an outdoor grotto: it is dense, heavy and weathers gently. Wash off moss and algae with lukewarm water and a soft brush in spring, and keep acid cleaners away from it. We deliver marble ourselves to any county; tell us about access to the grotto when you order. If you are not sure whether a particular painted statue suits outdoor use, ask us before you buy.
Grotto questions
Which statues go in a Lourdes grotto?
Our Lady of Lourdes, standing above in a niche, and St Bernadette kneeling below and looking up at her. A single statue of the two together suits a smaller grotto.
When is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes?
11 February, the date of the first apparition to St Bernadette in 1858. St Bernadette’s own feast is kept on 16 April in many places, and on 18 February in France.
Can I build a grotto in my back garden?
Yes, and many Irish families have. It can be as simple as a stone niche against a wall with a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. See garden statues for siting and bases.
What material is best for an outdoor grotto?
Marble. It stands up to rain and frost and weathers gently. Set it level on a solid base and wash it gently in spring.
How big should Our Lady be for our grotto niche?
Tall enough to fill the niche without touching the top. Measure the niche’s height, width and depth and compare them with the measurements on the statue’s page — or send them to us and we will check.
Can you carve grotto statues to a particular size?
Marble can be carved to order. Send the niche measurements and a photograph and we will quote before anything is made.
Restoring or building a grotto?
Send us the measurements of the niche and a photograph of the grotto, and we will suggest statues that fit — or quote for carving them.
Updated
Read next
Garden statues
A statue of Our Lady in the garden is one of the oldest sights in Ireland. Getting one to look right — and keep it standing straight winter after winter — is mostly about the base, the spot and the material.
Church statues
A statue in a church has to read from the back of the nave, suit the building it stands in, and last longer than any of the people who chose it. This page is for parish priests, sacristans and committees working that out.
Statues for schools
In a Catholic school a statue does quiet work every day: it tells visitors what the school believes, gives the children somewhere to pray, and marks the seasons of the year. Here is how to choose one that suits a busy building.
Marble statues
Hand-carved marble is the statue that outlasts everyone who bought it. It is also heavy, dearer than resin and has its own needs. Here is the honest version, so you can decide whether it is right for you.
Made to order
Not in the catalogue? It can still be carved. If it can be carved, we can carve it — send us a photograph or a drawing of what you have in mind and we will tell you what it takes to make it.