An Iowa priest vowed to build a shrine if he survived pneumonia; after recovering, he spent 42 years using over 100 train carloads of stone to create it

In the late 19th century, a young seminarian battling a life-threatening bout of pneumonia made a promise that would eventually transform a small Iowa town into the home of one of the world’s largest man-made grottos. If he survived, Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein vowed to build a shrine in honour of the Virgin Mary. He recovered and more than a century later, the promise he made has become a vast monument of stone, minerals, fossils and religious art in West Bend, Iowa.Known as the ‘Grotto of the Redemption’, the extraordinary structure was built over 42 years and incorporates material transported in more than 100 train carloads. The National Register of Historic Places describes it as one of the world’s largest man-made grottos and one of the most extensive mosaics ever created.

A promise made during illness

Dobberstein was born in Rosenfeld, Germany, in 1872 and emigrated to the United States when he was 20. He entered the Seminary of St Francis near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to prepare for the priesthood. It was during his time at the seminary that he became critically ill with pneumonia. Facing the possibility of death, he prayed to the Virgin Mary and promised that if he recovered, he would build a shrine in her honour.The illness passed, and Dobberstein completed his studies. He was ordained a priest in 1897 and the following year was appointed pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in West Bend, Iowa. West Bend, surrounded by the flat farmland of Iowa, might seem an unlikely location for a monument made from precious and semi-precious stones gathered from around the world. But it was here that Dobberstein began preparing to fulfil his promise.For roughly a decade after arriving in West Bend, he stockpiled rocks, minerals and other geological materials. The actual construction of the grotto began in 1912.

Building a shrine without blueprints

Dobberstein’s project was unlike a conventional building. The Grotto of the Redemption was constructed without formal plans, blueprints or sketches. Instead, the priest developed his vision as he worked, assembling stones into an elaborate series of religious scenes.The project eventually grew into nine interconnected grottos depicting the Christian story of redemption, beginning with the Garden of Eden and continuing through the birth and life of Jesus, the Crucifixion and finally the Resurrection.The site contains 26 religious stations and 65 statues carved from Carrara marble by Italian sculptors. Beneath and around the statues are hundreds of thousands of stones and geological specimens, creating a mosaic-like landscape unlike anything else in the region.The materials came from remarkably diverse places. The National Register documentation records stones from every US state as well as locations around the world. Among them are alexandrite associated with Russian emerald mines, amethyst from the Andes, jade from China, lapis lazuli from the Near East and a rock brought back from Admiral Richard Byrd’s expedition to the South Pole. One grotto alone contains 65 tons of petrified wood.

More than 100 train carloads of material

The scale of Dobberstein’s undertaking is perhaps best understood through the amount of material required. More than 100 train carloads of rocks and stones were eventually used to create the grotto. These stones had to be collected, transported, sorted, processed and carefully positioned. The National Register records that Dobberstein travelled widely in search of geological treasures and faced bad roads, difficult weather and inadequate transportation. He also suffered injuries in automobile and construction accidents, but repeatedly returned to his work. For decades, much of the construction was carried out almost entirely by hand.Until 1947, cement, mortar, rocks, steel and precious stones were moved around the site using buckets and wheelbarrows. By then, roughly 80% of the project had been completed. An electric hoist was finally installed to help the ageing priest continue his work.Dobberstein was assisted by Matthew Szerensce, whom he reportedly regarded as his “good right hand”. The two worked alongside each other from the early stages of construction.

A 42-year labour of faith

What began as a promise made by a sick seminarian eventually consumed much of Dobberstein’s adult life. He continued working on the Grotto of the Redemption while serving as a priest in West Bend. By the time he died in July 1954, he had spent 42 years turning his vision into reality. His physical condition had deteriorated in his later years, and Szerensce and Father Louis Greving eventually carried forward his plans. Construction and additions continued after Dobberstein’s death.The National Register notes that the Grotto represents an exceptionally large collection of semi-precious stones, ores, minerals, fossils, petrified material, coral and shells concentrated in one location. It also helped inspire a broader tradition of decorative grotto construction across the Upper Midwest.

From personal promise to historic landmark

The Grotto of the Redemption was eventually recognised for its architectural and artistic significance. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the nomination describing it as a particularly significant example of regional grotto construction and one of the world’s largest man-made grottos.Today, visitors entering the site encounter a maze of stone-covered structures, arches, chapels and sculptures. The geological material is not merely decorative. It forms an integral part of Dobberstein’s attempt to tell a religious story through the natural beauty of stone. A promise made during a desperate illness had therefore evolved into a monumental lifetime project.