In Cadier en Keer, Limburg, which belongs to the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten, there are two Lourdes grottoes located close to each other. On Pater Kustersweg, on the Heerdeberg estate in the hamlet of Berg, there is a grotto in a marl cliff face. The Lourdes grotto stands on a slightly elevated plateau of a few metres.
The Lourdes Grotto is situated at the entrance to a cave system within the marl quarry of Heerdeberg. This quarry was established in the 15th century, making it one of the oldest marl sites in the surrounding area. During times of war, the quarry served as a refuge for many people and animals. It is a unique location for a Lourdes Grotto.
The statue of Mary stands at a height of around 5 metres. As there is no depiction of the seer Bernadette Soubirous, it is essentially a Marian grotto.
At the Lourdes grotto, it is not possible to sit on benches and the ascent of the forest path to the grotto is not clean. The whole scene gives a deserted impression.
Not a hundred metres further into the forest path stands a monument from 1948 commemorating Belgians who were shot. A standing stone, next to the monument to the murdered resistance fighters, states that on 12 July 1959, Belgian King Baudouin and Dutch Queen Juliana with her husband Bernhard visited this spot in remembrance of the shooting. The monument refers to 12 September 1944, a few days before the liberation of Nazi soldiers by the Americans. On this day, 12 resistance fighters were shot dead here. Their bodies were found two days later. Since 1945, this sad event has been commemorated annually on the second Sunday of September.
To reach the Lourdes Grotto, leave the main road, pass the former monastery (The Abbey), proceed further onto the Heerdeberg estate, follow the direction of the sculpture garden, and there the grotto is to the left of the forest path.
Address: Pater Kustersweg, 6267NL Cadier en Keer.
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