Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine is a well-known landmark in the province of Bulacan. It is located along Santa Maria – Tungkong Mangga road now Gov Fortunato Halili Road at Barangay Graceville in the City of San Jose del Monte 3023 in Bulacan.
During my childhood days 15 years ago, this was the place that my aunt tell me that they always visit during the holy week.
Now that I am old and capable of traveling on my own, we had the chance to visit this iconic place on Easter Sunday. In deed, a good experience for me to finally see the place.
The Grotto is a good place if you want to do meditation as it is solemn. You won’t hear the sound of passing vehicles while you are attending the mass as the church building is situated very far from the main road.
Families from all walks of life can visit this popular destination to enjoy bonding time with their loved ones. During our visit, every visitor/pilgrim is requested to fill their names in a notebook located at the right side entrance of the church. I’ll visit the place again if I have a chance.
The structure is the exact replica of Lourdes Grotto in France. It is situated in a 6 hectares land approximately 33 kilometers north-east of Manila. The landowner, matriarch of Guanzon family, decided to develop the place, as a thanksgiving.
The reason is she was cured of cancer after her pilgrimage to the town of Lourdes, in south-western of Paris, France in 1961. After four years, it was made available to the public in February of 1965.
Since then, up to the present, the Grotto became a popular travel destination for thousands of religious devotees and pilgrimage from Metro Manila and nearby provinces, especially during the Lenten season.
The Grotto complex features a basilica, a park, calvary hill with 14 life-sized stations of the cross, water spring that is considered to be miraculous, 127 statues, and the Rosary hill with 155 giant beads. The latter is considered to be the biggest in the world as it is made of concrete and weighing approximately 8 tons.
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Bulacan Photos
These are just some of the photos I have taken during our visit. We were not able to roam around the place as it is a bit crowded at that time.
This is the view from the gate at the main entrance.
This is the photo of the second level of the basilica.
How to get to Grotto Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Bulacan
Going to Grotto from Manila is quite easy though a bit complicated. The reason is you need to ride multiple modes of transportation. From jeep, bus, or FX then another jeep again before you arrive at the place.
Step 1: Ride PUV going to SM Fairview
You can ride jeep or FX based on your budget. I will recommend riding fx because its convenient. It has less passenger which means less time dropping off or getting new passengers as compared to the usual jeep. This will be about a 1-hour ride or more depending on the traffic.
Step 2: Ride bus or Jeep with Tungko Signboard
Once you arrive at SM Fairview, you need to go across the street to ride another mode of transportation. Its either bus or jeep as long as it has Tungko signboard. Tell the driver to drop you off at Jollibee Tungko. From there you need to have another jeep ride.
Step 3: Ride Jeep with Muzon Signboard
Finally, this is the last ride that you will make to arrive at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine.
Be a responsible visitor. Enjoy the place but help maintain its cleanliness.
That’s it!
