The Grotto

The Grotto // NE 85th Ave and NE Sandy Blvd // Portland, OR 97220

The Grotto is a his beautiful 62-acre Catholic shrine property with monastery, convent and chapels botanical garden located in Portland, Oregon. “The Grotto” is the popular name of The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother. It is a non-profit organization supported solely by the proceeds of its gift shop and by donations. It is administered by the Order of Friars Servants of Mary, USA Province. Sitting above the cliff is the Statue of Our Sorrowful Mother blessed by the Pope Pius Xi in 1933.



The heart of the shrine is Our Lady’s Grotto, a rock cave carved into the base of a 110-foot cliff. A life-size marble replica of Michelangelo’s Pietà is featured in its center. In my opinion its the highlight of The Grotto.





Here you will see The Grotto’s Chapel of Mary on the lower level. After an elevator ride up the cliffs, the upper level features a cliff side Meditation Chapel and the Servite Monastery that is closed off to the public.


After you park, the first thing you will see is the gift shop/cafe where you can purchase a token for a few bucks to ride up the elevator to the top of the cliff over 110 feet tall. The proceeds all go to maintaing the property.


The Grotto's upper level gardens features Chapel of St. Anne, monastery, and a peace garden.




The Grotto is also famous for its annual Festival of Lights. Started in 1988, The Festival of LIghts features some 500,000 lights, the largest choral festival in the Pacific Northwest also features puppet shows, petting zoo and seasonal food and drinks. This happens every year from November to December.