Why are grottos important to society?

Today, artificial grottoes are purchased and built for ornamental and devotional purposes. They are often used as shrines in which to place statues of saints, particularly the Virgin Mary, in outdoor gardens. Many Roman Catholics visit a grotto where Bernadette Soubirous saw apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes.



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grotto, natural or artificial cave used as a decorative feature in 18th-century European gardens. Grottoes derived from natural caves were regarded in antiquity as dwelling places of divinities.

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Grottoes originated in both Greek and Roman culture and were associated with various gods. These grottoes would normally be the location of a natural spring and were believed to have a unique connection to the divine.

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The holy site known as the Nativity Grotto is thought to be the cave in which Jesus was born. In 135, Emperor Hadrian had the site above the grotto converted into a worship place for Adonis, the mortal lover of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty and desire.

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It is a long standing tradition in Catholic, as well as other religious traditions, to light a candle as a physical representation of one's prayers.

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