Grotte Notre-Dame d’Algrange

Useful Information

Location:	Chemin de la Grotte, 57440 Algrange. A31 exit 43 Veymerange/Elange, D148 to Algrange, turn right on D152E, left on Rue Jean Burger, then Chemin de la Grotte uphill. Parking lot at the grotte. Signposted with brown signs saying "Grotte". (49.3596708, 6.0419203)
Open:	no restrictions. [2026]
Fee:	free. [2026]
Classification:	Lourdes Grotto
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Amicale Notre Dame de la Grotte d'Algrange, 3, rue de la Paix, 57440 Algrange, Tel: +33-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

02-JUN-1940	following the ‘Phoney War’ and at the start of the German attacks, Father Fey, the parish priest, vows to erect a statue of the Virgin Mary if Algrange was spared by the war.
1950	the parishioners of Algrange begin the construction.
04-NOV-1951	grotto consecrated by the Bishop of Metz.
1960	large Calvary added.

Description

Grotte Notre-Dame d’Algrange (Grotto of Our Lady of Algrange) is a lourdes grotto installed in an artificial cavity in the sandstone in the hillside above the village Algrange. This site is the result of a vow made on Sunday, June 2, 1940, by Father Fey, the parish priest. He vowed to erect a statue of the Virgin Mary if Algrange was spared by the war. Father Fey was appointed archpriest of another parish in 1947, and Father Moll, the new parish priest and the people of Algrange wished to fulfil this promise. In 1950 and 1951 they extended the abandoned Burbach mine tunnel at the hillside in the Bois des Chênes. The idea to create a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes was approved almost unanimously. A team of volunteer labourers worked for three months. The site became a sort of church for special occasions, and until today masses and events are held here every year, particularly on the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August. It was later completed by Stations of the Cross from the village church to the Lourdes grotto.

This is a lourdes grotto, which means it is a cave or niche with a statue of Virgin Mary, benches in front, resembling a sort of open air. It is freely accessible but please respect the worshippers by appropriate behavior for a church. As always with churches, donations are welcome. The site is maintained by the non-profit Amicale Notre Dame de la Grotte d'Algrange who use the donation for the maintenance of the site.

Algrange is a former mining town located at a tributary of the Moselle river. The geology is based on limestone on the surface, which results in typical limestone laws with special biology. There are iron ores of the Minette, and the town has an iron mining heritage. There are several abandoned mines, and nearby is the Musée des Mines de Fer de Neufchef.