Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos

Although the members of my party and I were not Catholic, we did enjoy the vernacular charm and beauty of this unique property. As another reviewer has mentioned, there is a lengthy history associated with this venue, and I was surprised that at no point had I ever heard anything about the location until the «Saint Louis 250» celebration. We came to visit because one of the 250 wooden «birthday cakes» was on display here, celebrating the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the settlement that became Saint Louis. The entire property was splendid, and the grottos were impressive, particularly when one reflects that so much of the construction was completed by one man, by hand. As an avid gardener who has tackled no small number of major outdoor projects using stonework through the years, I could only imagine the blood, sweat, and bruising this man poured into these creations. If for no other reason, the location is worth a visit…

Another review here does a excellent job of describing the shrine. My lovely wife and I thought it was a beautiful place, so peaceful. The painting there is a 300 year old replica of the original that was painted 2000 years ago which Mary posed for. It is the one behind the altar (check out her piercing eyes). The groto’s were all handmade with concrete and millions of rock and shells, etc

Fascinating, inspirational and a little sad. First off, a disclaimer; we’re not Catholic, so we almost certainly won’t approach this place with the same reverence as a member of the local archdiocese. The creepy occult-​sounding term Black Madonna probably keeps a fair number of people away, but it’s only a reference to the fact that Jesus and his mother were probably very dark-​skinned based on where they lived. There is no black statue of Mary or anything like that.
So what is it, you may be wondering? Is it a shrine surrounded by grottos? If so, I couldn’t tell what the shrine was. I describe it as seven handmade grottos, ranging from pretty impressive to very impressive. They were built by a Polish monk named Brother Bronislaus who was brought here with a group from his home country by Cardinal Glennon to build an infirmary for men. The infirmary still stands, by the way, about a half mile further down the road, and it is more than just a touch creepy, so don’t miss it — I can’t imagine a more fitting location to film an Exorcist sequel. We saw one vehicle on the premises — an 80’s era 15-​passenger van. No sign of life, but we noticed a light was on. There is also a sizable grotto here, no doubt built by the same monk.
The grottos are made of various types of Missouri rock and all have statues and a little spot to kneel and pray. There are some gemstones, colored glass and other bits of artistic enhancements that make each one very unique. They really were something to see and we took tons of pictures. We noticed there is water seeping through a couple of them, so I’m thinking 10 or 20 years from now, those grottos will start to fall apart, which is a shame.
It’s clear there’s not a ton of funding for this place, so be sure and drop a few dollars in the donation box (in the chapel).