A fire at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at the University of Notre Dame was extinguished Monday evening (July 26) by the University’s fire department. There were no injuries, and the cause is undetermined.
The interior of the Grotto has been closed while officials determine if it is safe to enter. Visitors may still pray at the perimeter of the shrine.
Built in 1896, Notre Dame’s Grotto is one-seventh the size of the famed French shrine where the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette on 18 occasions in 1858.