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The Saints & The Electric Underground LbNA #52160 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Feb 6, 2010
Location:
City:New Iberia
County:Iberia
State:Louisiana
Boxes:1
Planted by:cache-cherche-trouve
Found by: boodro kids
Last found:Oct 27, 2012
Status:Fr
Last edited:Feb 6, 2010
Starting coordinates to follow the clues to the letterbox cache: N 30 00.188" W 091 48.833"
Now for the clues...
At the Public Library, park your car.
Walk to the coordinates, not too far.
Stand before Our Lady, then head right.
Pass an angel & swans that can't take flight.
Past the "Saints" fence, make a left turn.
Careful--Don't get an electrical burn.
Steer left of the green box- an important clue!
Now look down within the thicket of bamboo.
.................................................................

(Go to www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com for 2 other letterboxes steps away from you.)

In the Historic District of New Iberia next to the Iberia Parish Library is a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes, France. It is believed that on February 11, 1858, Bernadette Soubiroux, a fourteen year old peasant girl, witnessed the first of eighteen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. During the ninth apparition, Our Lady revealed a spring of water. This water was to become world famous for the miraculous cures worked through it. Every year over a million and a half pilgrims visit Lourdes hoping for a miracle.

This replica of the Grotto of Lourdes was erected in 1941 on what was the campus of St. Peter's College, a boy's school operated by the DeLaSalle Christian Brothers. The grotto is of solid construction of cement and Louisiana marble and resembles the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. It contains a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and Bernadette, who was canonized a saint on December 11, 1933. The grotto was originally erected in grateful memory of the pioneer families of New Iberia and in gratitude to God for His abundant blessings on the Teche country. It was rededicated in 1967 by a grateful community to the Veterans of Foreign Wars from New Iberia, who died in the service of their country.

The grotto is shaded by a live oak tree estimated to be over 150 years old. In 1996 there was a major restoration of the shrine. The statues were repainted, a sitting area was provided, and a large area of the grounds was landscaped. A wrought iron fence, topped with gold painted fleur-de-lis (Go Saints!), was added to the back of the property.

Often on a summer evening you will find a number of people praying at the shrine.