An Iowa priest vowed to build a shrine if he survived pneumonia; after recovering, he spent 42 years using over 100 train carloads of stone to create it

In the late 19th century, a young seminarian battling a life-threatening bout of pneumonia made a promise that would eventually transform a small Iowa town into the home of one of the world's largest man-made grottos. If he survived, Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein vowed to build a shrine in honour of the Virgin Mary. He recovered and more than a century later, the promise he made has become a vast monument of stone, minerals, fossils and religious art in West Bend, Iowa.Known as the 'Grotto of the Redemption', the extraordinary structure was built over 42 years and incorporates material transported in more than 100 train carloads. The National Register of Historic Places describes it as one of the world's largest man-made grottos and one of the most extensive mosaics ever created.A promise made during illnessDobberstein was born in Rosenfeld, Germany, in 1872 and emigrated to the United States when he was 20. He entered the Seminary of St Francis near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to prepare for the priesthood. It was during his time at the seminary that he became critically ill with pneumonia. Facing the possibility of death, he prayed to the Virgin Mary and promised that if he recovere...