File:St. Mary, Jasper Geode Grotto 18.jpg

English: Encircled by shrines depicting the mysteries of the rosary with a 12-foot-tall manmade cave as the centerpiece, Jasper, Indiana's Geode Grotto was constructed over ten years on the site of a former handball court on the grounds of the Providence Home. The Geode Grotto was the idea of Father Phillip Ottavi, an Italian immigrant who was inspired by religious grottoes in Europe. Geodes are abundant in southern Indiana, and the soft rocks with crystal-filled centers have been used locally as building and decorative material for generations. The geodes that are in the Providence Home grotto are mixed with bits of marble, carved limestone, and found objects, set into poured concrete. The white Carrara marble statues were imported specially from Italy. The grotto was built between 1960-1970 under the guidance of Fr. Ottavi with the help of residents and coworkers from the home. There are two major shrines: the Mother of God Shrine on the south end, and the St. Joseph Shrine in the north.As a child, Fr. Ottavi, a member of the Roman Catholic Sons of Divine Providence religious order, was trapped beneath rubble after an earthquake took over 80,000 lives in his native Italy. Both his parents were killed in the disaster. Father Ottavi constructed the grotto out of the very objects of his anger and fear. After about a decade of work, he completed a large cave that re-creates the Lourdes Marian apparition in France with statues of Mary and the visionary, St. Bernadette; seven smaller shrines to saints; flower-lined walls that depict the mysteries of the rosary; two fountains; and dozens of flowerpots that weigh as much as 2,500 pounds each. Members of a nonprofit group are continually on the grounds, which requires restoration after constant exposure to the elements.Geode Grotto is located on the grounds of the Cathedral Health Care Center, which is located at 520 W. Ninth St., Jasper, IN 47546. From I-64, head North on US 231 for 14.3 miles. Turn left at Bartley St. The grotto lies along this street between Ninth & 13th.