The Grotto

This bronze statue rests in the alcove where the grotto used to be.  It is doubtful whether it ever was placed inside the grotto, and the main statue of the Pieta appears in a photograph of the grotto itself. There was a small alcove in the back of the grotto, lit only by stained glass in the roof of the grotto back room.  My recollection is that it was a scene of the Agony in the Garden, with a suffering Christ being consoled by an angel.

This statue of the Pieta was in the main alcove of the grotto, as evidenced by the rock formation.

A recently discovered photo (April 2013) of the grotto shows the additional cell at the right which contained a statue of the Agony in the Garden, with blue stained glass as the only lighting.

"Many noteworthy things on campus were built by Brother Paul.  The only one remaining almost intact is the white stone grotto.  This stone is a form of quartz and may be found in several places on the west side of the Hudson.  Even now there is not a crack or leak in it.  He also built the Stations of the Cross but only the bases of some of them remain in the same area as the grotto.  Most had to be removed when the road to Sheahan was built.  The concrete stairs in the same area, that now lead nowhere, once had a Calvary group of statues at the top of the stairs."  Brother Nilus Vincent Donnelly, Memories of 75 years, pp 6 & 7

Note: Brother Nilus's recollections extend only to 1986, as he was born in 1911.  The grotto was dismantled after 1986. (Source: Marist College Land History: The Grotto)

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