The Ave Maria Grotto, known throughout the world as "Jerusalem in Miniature", is a beautifully landscaped, four-acre park designed to provide a natural setting for the 125 miniature reproductions of some of the most famous historic buildings and shrines of the world. The masterpieces of stone and concrete are the lifetime work of Brother Joseph Zoettl, a Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey.
The gift shop provides entry to a forested trail, winding down past several miniature building clusters and junk-bejeweled shrines. The site features an entire hillside packed in urban splendor with cathedrals and famous building. One half of the hillside features buildings and scenes from the Holy Land. There's also a central artificial cave--the Av e Maria Grotto. Among the numerous replicas are the famous buildings of Jerusalem and the Holy Land; Roman Landmarks, the famous Spanish Missions of the American Southwest; and replicas of the famous Shrines of Our Lady, Fatima and Lourdes.
