Dickeyville Grotto

Dickeyville, Wisconsin, United States

·

Public art

✓

Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

The Dickeyville Grotto and Shrines, on Holy Ghost Parish grounds in Dickeyville, Wisconsin, were built between about 1924 and 1930 by the parish priest Father Mathias Wernerus from stone, mortar and colourful objects collected from around the world.

Private to your Passport.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

No recommended arrival yet

We have not checked a recommended place to arrive or stop here yet.

This takes you to the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Dickeyville Grotto

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 42.6273° N, 90.5947° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

A Catholic priest in a small Wisconsin village covered a set of shrines in colourful stone and glass, and made one of them a tribute to America. The Dickeyville Grotto stands on the grounds of Holy Ghost Parish at the junction of US 151 and US 61, according to Wikipedia, in the state's south-west corner.

Father Mathias Wernerus was born in Germany in 1873, came to Wisconsin in 1904 to study at St. Francis Seminary, and became pastor at Dickeyville in 1918, according to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. The organization says that after he decorated some vases with coloured glass for a cemetery memorial, he invited parishioners to help beautify their devotional landscape. Using concrete embellished with crushed glass, shells and tile, he and his helpers built shrines on themes of Catholic spirituality and American patriotism, mostly without structural plans.

Travel Wisconsin describes the work as dedicated to the unity of two American ideals, love of God and love of country, and as made of stone, mortar and bright colored objects collected from all over the world. The parish's own site gives the construction dates as 1924 to 1930; Travel Wisconsin says 1925 to 1930. Wikipedia gives 1920 to 1930. Wernerus died in 1931.

Wikipedia lists the parts as the Grotto of the Blessed Virgin, Christ the King Shrine, the Grotto of the Sacred Heart, the Eucharistic Altar, the Holy Ghost Tree, the Patriotism Shrine and the Crucifixion Group. Philadelphia's Magic Gardens recommends Susan A. Niles's 1997 book, The Dickeyville Grotto: The Vision of Father Mathias Wernerus.

The parish says the outdoor site is open year round, with a seasonal gift shop and tours; phone ahead for tour times.

Add a photo

PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

An outdoor art environment of shrines and grottoes on parish grounds. The official parish site says it is open to visitors year round, with a seasonal gift shop and tours available. Check with the parish for fees and tour times; phone (608) 568-3119.

ACCESS

Holy Ghost Parish grounds, 305 West Main Street, Dickeyville, Wisconsin. The parish site says the outdoor site is open to visitors year round; tours and the gift shop are seasonal.

COMMUNITY

Visitor Log

WHAT'S NEXT

Find another Big Thing nearby

✓

Current

World's Largest Cone-Top Beer Can

Potosi, Wisconsin

A cone-top beer can structure over 40 feet tall at the Holiday Gardens Event Center, 101 Brewery Hollow Road, Potosi, across from the historic Potosi Brewery and its National Brewery Museum.

Roadside giants

·

12 km away

TRANSPARENCY

Sources & research

Something not right?

If this Big Thing has changed, moved or gone, telling us keeps the guide honest for the next traveller.

Suggest an update →Report a problem →