Pacific, Missouri - Black Madonna Shrine and Grottoes

The Black Madonna Shrine, "Our lady of Czestochowja" During the 1930's a monk living at a nearby monastery fashioned an immense series of grottoes by hand, replicating the Way of the Cross. The property and grottoes take up several acres of land and is quite impressive. The site is located off of highway F in Jefferson County and has been a tourist attraction for years. The Brother who built the site also used any ordinary household items he could get his hands on to make 'stained glass' windows in the grottoes. The fantastic decorations are shards of broken crockery, costume jewelry, seashells and other items. It sounds absolutely bizarre, but is really beautiful. It's listed as the "Black Madonna Shrine". Small admission fee is charged. Sunrise services held at Easter. [Nancy Harding, 01/29/2000]

[RA: Brother Bronislaus Luszcz of the Franciscan Missionary Brothers started in 1938 and spent 22 years building the Black Madonna Shrine and Grottoes.]