One of the oldest Lourdes grottos in the Netherlands is located in Monster, South Holland. As early as 1877, barely 19 years after the apparitions of Maria to Bernadette in Lourdes, France, in 1858, the Lourdes grotto in Monster was built. The grotto came about on the initiative of parish priest Hermanus Bauer. He wished to visit Lourdes, but health problems and the great distance prevented him from travelling to the French town where Maria had appeared. The alternative for the priest in Monster was to establish a Lourdes grotto. The Lourdes grotto was completed at the end of 1877 and was consecrated by Mgr. Petrus Matthias Snickers, Bishop of Haarlem from 1877 to 1883 and Archbishop of Utrecht from 1883 to 1895.
The Lourdes Grotto is approximately 5 metres wide, 4 metres high and 5 metres deep. In a large niche within the grotto stands the statue of Mary, about 1 metre tall, positioned at a height of over 2 metres. There is also a 70 centimetre high effigy of Bernadette Soubirous, who encountered Our Lady in Lourdes 18 times. In the wall behind the grotto, three niches have been created, housing statues of archangels.
In front of the Lourdes grotto, there is a large stone bench with the inscription “va boire et te laver à cette fontaine”. This is French for “go drink and wash yourself at this spring.” These are the words Mary spoke to Bernadette.
In the wall of the grotto, beneath the statue of Mary, a stone of about 15 centimetres has been placed, which comes from the rock of Lourdes. This stone was placed in the grotto in 1879.
The village of Monster was once a place of pilgrimage, as the Catholic parish of Machutus possessed relics of its patron saint, Saint Machutus, who was also called Machuut. This saint was invoked for the healing of epilepsy, or falling sickness. The St. Machutus Church is a national monument and was built between 1828 and 1831.
The Lourdes grotto is located behind the church, close to the cemetery, at Choorstraat 103. The grotto is freely accessible daily and is a peaceful place to experience reflection, prayer and silence.
