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Grotto of the Redemption — Paul Dobberstein, West Bend

Rows of grotto walls and small towers covered in rough rocks, crystals and colored stones at the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa.
Artwork FileWest Bend · Iowa

Grotto of the Redemption

SeenNov 2026

Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein · begun 1912 · West Bend, Iowa

Photo: Alejandro Pulido / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), as published on Street Art Utopia. Full frame.

Nine connected grottos at Saints Peter and Paul Church in West Bend tell the story of the Redemption, from the Fall of Man to the Resurrection, in concrete studded with rocks, minerals and glass tile. Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein began the work in 1912; Matt Szerensce worked beside him for decades, and Father Louis Greving carried the project on after Dobberstein died in 1954. Source Source Source Checked

Seen Nov 2026 — Iowa PBS published a film about the grotto on 13 November 2026. It is a report, not a dated photograph, and gives no filming date; the newest dated photograph we found is from 14 May 2016. Source Reported

More photos

The main entrance of the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa, with its stone-covered arch, white statues and the words Grotto of the Redemption above the doorway.
2008 The main entrancePhoto: Ben Franske / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

💡 4 things to know

  1. A promise made in sicknessAccording to the SPACES archive, Dobberstein promised, while suffering from a severe case of pneumonia shortly before his ordination, to build a shrine to the honor of the Blessed Virgin. Source Reported
  2. “My good right arm”Matt Szerensce joined the project after high school in 1912 and, the shrine says, spent fifty-two years on it; Dobberstein apparently referred to him occasionally as “my good right arm”. Source Reported
  3. Lifted by handThe shrine’s history says all lifting was done by hand until Father Greving, sent to West Bend when Dobberstein was seventy-four, persuaded him to bring in an electric hoist. Source Reported
  4. The “Mother of all Grottos”The University of Wisconsin’s grotto survey says it takes up an entire city block and is said to be the largest collection of semiprecious stones, minerals and petrified material in one place. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Saints Peter and Paul Church, 300 N. Broadway, West Bend, Iowa, USA. Source Source Checked

Open in Maps

The map opens at the coordinates given on Wikimedia Commons; we have not checked Street View for it.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 200123 Feb

    National Register record published · NPS

  2. 2008Aug

    Main entrance photographed · camera date

  3. 201614 May

    Grotto walls photographed · camera date

  4. 202613 Nov

    Iowa PBS film published; filming date not stated

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

✅ The facts

Creator
Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein Source Source Checked
Helpers
Matt Szerensce; Father Louis Greving, who continued the work after 1954 Source Source Checked
Form
Nine connected grottos telling the story of the Redemption Source Checked
Materials
Concrete, rock, minerals and Italian glass tile Source Checked
Listed
National Register of Historic Places, 2001 Source Source Checked
Address
300 N. Broadway, West Bend, Iowa Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 13 November 2026 · How we verify art

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