Crystal Shrine Grotto: does anyone know the story behind it? (Memphis: construction, pool)

[emp6t]

Dear all,

Does anyone know about Crystal Shrine Grotto (Poplar just East of Yates)? What is the story behind it?

Bestest!

[Pearlbob]

I had no clue what this was. I googled it and I still don't know It's in the cemetary there at Poplar/240?

Maybe I'm oblivious, but I have not heard of this place. I've been on Memphis forums for a couple years now and I've never heard anyone mention it. It came up on Google, so apparently it's a tourist attraction, but I don't know anything about it. Hopefully someone else will be able to make up for my apparent lack of knowledge

[JoeCartpath]

Here's the story from the Memphis Memorial Park website. I've been in that cemetery countless times (my Dad and both in-laws are buried there), but always just drive past the grotto. I'll have to visit it next time...

"Memorial Park’s outstanding feature is its physical beauty and naturally rolling terrain, with points of interest planned and constructed primarily during the 1930s by Mr. Hinds. Arkansas fieldstone is the features building material throughout the Park. Just inside the entrance is a gracefully curved reflecting pool and three-tiered fountain. As the visitor follows the driveway to the east of the fountain, he crosses stone bridges and sees the first of several fascinating constructions by Mexican artist Dionicio Rodriguez. These works include Annie Laurie’s Wishing Chair and Rose Garden, The Wishing Well, and the Fountain of Youth.

Rodriguez was engaged by Mr. Hinds around 1935 to beautify the cemetery and to reproduce certain bits of history, primarily biblical. A “naturalistic artist”, Rodriguez used concrete to shape objects appearing to be boulders, cut stone blocks, wooden logs, a series of caves, and even a tree. The tree, Abraham’s Oak, has an opening large enough to walk through, with two benches hewn out of the center.

The high point of Rodriguez’ work and the visitor’s experience is the Crystal Shrine Grotto, which Mr. Hinds called the only man-made crystal cave in the world. To construct the grotto, Rodriguez scooped out part of the hillside and made a cave of natural rock, quartz crystal and other semiprecious stone from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri. Within the grotto, ten scenes depict the life of Jesus Christ. The Renaissance-style ceramic figures were imported from Italy by Mr. Hinds and Rodriguez, created the backgrounds. Other figures were fashioned by Memphis artists Luther Hampton and Marie Craig. The most recent sculpture by Memphian David Day includes “The Sermon On the Mount”, “The Raising of Jairus’ Daughter”, “Zaccheus Up a Tree”, “The Last Supper”, “The Resurrection” and “The Transfiguration”. Skylights introduce angled rays of sunlight that reflect incredible colors from stalactites and stalagmites. Also in the grotto is a painting of The Good Samaritan by Mary Rembrandt and a plaque of “Christ and the Children” by Miriam Dalstrom. "

[emp6t]

Thanks, I saw the web site. I am more interested to know why someone commissioned this?

[JoeCartpath]

Just one man's vision to beautify the entrance to his cemetery.

[RikBrooks]

That's also the story of the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world.