Since 1874, a Lourdes grotto has stood in Maastricht, on the flanks of the Sint-Pietersberg. It is assumed to be the oldest Lourdes grotto in the Netherlands.
Halfway up the Sint-Pietersberg is the cave with a chapel. A green gate, in a grey wall, provides access to the Lourdes grotto. Above the gate it reads: “Do not pass this place by without an Ave for Me’.
The grounds of the chapel and grotto once belonged to the park of Villa Maastricht. This was the country residence of the family of Andres Claereboets (1796-1886). He was an entrepreneur and owner of a wallpaper factory in Maastricht. In 1873, he went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes with his daughter Eveline, and en route, they visited the convent of Paray-le-Monial. In that same year, the convent celebrated the second centenary of the apparition of Jesus to Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690). The Claereboets family had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was the reason for their visit to Paray-le-Monial. Upon their return from their pilgrimage, father and daughter made plans to have a Lourdes grotto built. The grotto was constructed using flint stones from the Sint-Pietersberg. They also had a gate installed in the garden wall to allow interested visitors the opportunity to visit the grotto.
Two figurines have been placed in front of the grotto: the kneeling Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879) from Lourdes, and Margaret Mary Alacoque from Paray-le-Monial, also kneeling. This is due to the pilgrimage of father and daughter Claereboets in 1873.
Miracles happen with depictions of Mary, and the same is true here. A woman is pregnant with an underdeveloped child. She and her husband visit the Lourdes grotto and pray to Our Lady for help. A little later, the woman gives birth to a perfectly healthy child, and the doctors are perplexed. Science cannot explain this.
In the wall of the long building, a plaque has been placed in commemoration of Andres Claereboets. Next to the Lourdes statue, a large memorial stone has been mounted in honour of Prof. Dr. Gerardus Jacabus (Gerard) van de Plaats (1903-1995), who worked tirelessly to preserve the Lourdes grotto with chapel. In gratitude for Mary's help, numerous ex-voto tiles have been affixed to the wall.
Later, the original domain was sold and in 1986 the part of the garden with the Lourdes grotto and chapel was donated to the parish.
On 1 April 2024, the reliquary of Saint Bernadette from Lourdes will be carried in procession to the Lourdes Grotto. This is happening as part of a tour of the relic throughout the Netherlands.
Address: The old Lourdes grotto is located on the left side of Ursulinenweg, next to number 3, diagonally opposite the church of “Sint Pieter op den Berg/Sint Pieter Boven”. The Lourdes grotto is situated just outside the built-up area in a hilly landscape.
