The Lourdes of Plungė

The Lourdes is built next to the gymnasium, at the coast of the Plungė Sea. A nun from France, named Mari de Grand, arrived to Plungė to teach girls in a school that Marija Oginskienė has established. The nun talked to parson Vincentas Jarulaitis and explained that she would like to build a Lourdes grotto in the city. The priest agreed and Duchess Oginskienė granted the funds, with which the land was purchased.

In 1905, the statue of the Immaculate Conception of Virgin Mary was transported from France. This statue was placed on a rock in open air. In 1906, the citizens of Plungė donated money to have the grotto bricked. The Lourdes grotto of Plungė stood near a small Capuchin church. During Soviet rule, the church was desecrated because a sports hall was built inside of it, which burnt down some time later. The Lourdes was closed, and the statue of Virgin Mary was moved to the Plungė Church.

When Lithuania regained its independence, the Lourdes was rebuilt and even had a new statue built in it. All of it was consecrated on October 20th, 1990. The old Lourdes statue can be found in the Plungė Church.