In Valkenburg aan de Geul, there are two Lourdes grottoes: a large one on the Cauberg and a small, well-maintained grotto in the cloister garden of the Kloosterpark at Huize St. Jozef, which is a residential care centre.
The fact that there is a Lourdes grotto in Valkenburg is thanks to Franciscan sisters. They come from the nearby convent in Klimmen, and because that is closing, they are moving to Valkenburg. The Lourdes grotto in Klimmen is rebuilt in 1988, as the sisters bring the statue of Mary with them. This statue was once sawn in half, and later the two parts were glued back together. This can still be seen. I receive this information from two friendly sisters, whom I meet in the convent garden. They belong to the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters St. Joseph.
To protect it, the statue of Mary is behind a transparent plate. The colourfully painted figurine of Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary of Lourdes, stands on the ground in front of the statue. Flowers, plants and shrubs surround the scene, which visitors find very endearing.
Next to the residential care home is the former Jesuit monastery. The monastery buildings were realised in the period 1893-1895 and extended in 1911 by the Society of Jesus, who were expelled from Germany by the Kulturkampf.
During the Second World War (1939-1945), the Jesuits were once again expelled, this time by the German occupiers. From September 1942 to September 1944, the building served as a National Socialist “Reichsschule” for boys. After that, the building functioned as a hospital for many wounded American soldiers until March 1945. Subsequently, the complex was a repatriation centre for a few months, and then an internment camp.
In 1885, the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in Valkenburg, having left Germany in 1877 due to the Kulturkampf. After a short stay in Beek, in Limburg, they settled in Valkenburg at the Franciscan monastery on Oosterweg. In 1961, they moved to the former Jesuit monastery. In 1985, the sisters moved to a new complex built in the monastery gardens, and the large monastery building was sold.
The address of the Lourdes Grotto is Kloosterweg 34, 6301WK Valkenburg aan de Geul.
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