Hunchback Monk of Alabama
About one month ago, I posted a story about Ben Hartman of Springfield, Ohio. Ben was laid off during the depression. Therefore, he dealt with his stress by building a miniature rock wonderland in his backyard. Thus, this great man-made wonder of Springfield, OH, is still amazing visitors to this day. At that time, it was clearly the best rock miniature achievement that I had ever witnessed. But, then I heard of the Hunchback Monk of Alabama. Apparently, a Benedictine Monk at an abbey in Alabama had constructed his own miniature rock wonderland. Consequently, PugsleyTonks had to investigate. So, it was off to Cullman, Alabama, to witness the marvel of the Ava Maria Grotto…
Before enjoying the beauty of Ava Maria Grotto, let’s learn about Brother Joseph. Joseph Zoetl was born in 1878 in Bavaria, Germany. At a young age, Joseph knew that he wanted to be a Benedictine priest. For reasons unclear to me, his quest guided him to the St. Bernard Abbey. This is a Benedictine monastery in Cullman, Alabama. Brother Joseph’s early experience at the Abbey was not stellar. First, while trying to lift a heavy church bell during construction, Brother Joseph severely hurt his back. Thus, recovery from his injury led to his “hunchback” condition. Next, the Abbey leaders decided that Brother Joseph was not priest material. Lastly, the priests assigned Brother Joseph to the boiler room as his main daily service. Day after day, Brother Joseph kept the Abbey going by shoveling coal into the boiler. There you have the life of Brother Joseph.
Actually, Brother Joseph’s life kind of reminded me of the life of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Remember how Santa and the reindeer used to laugh and call him names. Further, they never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games. Until of course, Rudolph’s luminescent red nose led the sleigh and saved Christmas. After a debilitating occupational injury, priesthood rejection, then assigned to shovel coal for the rest of his days, Brother Joseph could have been a broken man. But, like Rudolph, Brother Joseph dug deep and found a way to cope. He had a gift. Brother Joseph gathered rocks. Then, Brother Joseph made art.
A lone devotee marvels at Brother Joseph’s creations 
St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican
Brother Joseph used rocks, cement, and whatever he could gather to create brilliant replicas of historic and Biblical structures. Brother Joseph had visited very few of his structures. Consequently, his used the pictures and books available to him at the Abbey. At first, he placed his creations in the monastery garden. But, the number of pieces grew. More importantly, the Abbey started to appreciate the vast talents of Brother Joseph. Therefore, the Abbey created a dedicated site for the life’s work of Brother Joseph. Today, the beautiful Ava Maria Grotto contains 125 miniature structures over 70 years in creation.
More works of Brother Joseph… 
and, fans of Brother Joseph 
Montserrat near Barcelona, Spain
Appropriately, there has to be a “grotto” to be Ava Maria Grotto. Centered on the hillside, surrounded by all the miniatures is the intricate grotto that gives the place its name.
Ava Maria “grotto” 
The photo worthy sites at the grotto are too numerous for my blog. But, allow me to show you two final pieces from Ava Maria Grotto. The first picture below is a tribute to the USA by featuring the Statue of Liberty. Brother Joseph eventually became an American citizen. He created this statue to honor his new country. Secondly, for completeness, I had to show this picture. Of course, there is a nativity scene…
Do not let my sarcastic nature confuse your impression of this place. Ava Maria Grotto is worth seeing. What Brother Joseph could do with some rocks, cement and garbage was miraculous. The Hunchback Monk of Alabama was under appreciated in his early years at the Abbey. But eventually, his talents got him out of the boiler room to dedicate his life to the grotto. The St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama, is about an hour south of Huntsville. If you have to be in Alabama anyway, a trip to Ava Maria Grotto will go a long way to brighten your trip. Have a wonderful day, PT
Thank you for reading the “Hunchback Monk of Alabama” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.
Here is the other post on rock miniatures https://travelingwithpt.com/obsessive-compulsive-backyard-fun/
Plan your trip to the Ava Maria Grotto http://www.avemariagrotto.com/
