Panningen - Lourdes Grot

In Panningen, there is a Lourdes grotto in an unusual location, namely in a recreation park. A whole history preceded this.

In 1903 Lazarists come to Panningen and start a mission house. Lazarists are members of the Congregation of the Mission, a religious society that carries out a lot of missionary work and assists the poor. The name of the organisation is derived from the first monastery in Paris, the former leper house of Saint-Lazare. The Lazarist fathers acquire a piece of land not far from the monastery and turn it into a retreat. A Marian garden is laid out here, and a Lourdes grotto is built there.

The grotto was built on the study-free Wednesdays of seminarians in the Mary Garden of the country estate of the Lazarist fathers. As a result, the total construction time was longer than usual, namely from 1922 into 1928. For the construction, misshapen bricks and clinkers from local brick kilns were used. When the grotto was completed in 1928, the blessing took place. In the upper niche stands the statue of Mary with a blue sky with stars above the image. Above this, a stone has been placed with the year 2023, which refers to the restoration of the grotto. A stone is affixed to the grotto with the inscription “Mother, always think of us, we have thought of You here together. Seminary MDCDXXII”. This refers to the year 1922, when the construction of the grotto began.

seminarians' stone at the Lourdes grotto in Panningen

At the rear of the grot is a circular cave containing an image of a pietà. The circular shape has the symbolic meaning of a womb, because Mary is seen as the Mother of all mothers. Behind the grot there used to be images of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, but these have disappeared. Visitors can go to the back of the structure through an opening in the grot.

Statue of Mary in the Lourdes grotto in Panningen

In 1969 the priests leave their retreat and the complex is sold. Subsequently, a campsite is established on the extensive grounds and it is named Beringerzand Recreation Park. The Lourdes grotto remains standing. A crazy golf course is built on the plot of the Mary Garden and the Lourdes grotto stands right in the middle of it. Over the years, the condition of the Lourdes grotto deteriorates and restoration becomes imperative. In 2023-2024, the grotto is restored by volunteers from the Crosses and Chapels Working Group of the Helden Local History Circle, and the statues also undergo an improvement. Particularly noteworthy is the statue of the visionary Bernadette Soubirous. 3D printing was used to create this likeness. The restoration work was made possible by financial support from the Province of Limburg, the Municipality of Peel en Maas and with the cooperation of the owner of the recreation park. The restored Lourdes grotto was blessed in 2024 by Harrie Jaspers C.M. (Congregatio Missionis, *1940).