Encouraged By Support, Knotted Grotto Will Remain a While Longer

The so-called Knotted Grotto started life as an art installation. Announced back over the summer, the project drew its inspiration from a very old religious icon called Mary, Undoer of Knots. It depicts the Virgin Mary undoing a knotted ribbon into a long strip, as she is surrounded by angels. It is said to be one of the pope’s favorite depictions of Mary, venerated by Catholics as the Mother of God. It is located outside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

The Knotted Grotto is weighed down by the prayers of the faithful. Photo: CBS

The Knotted Grotto is a series of low structures, all covered with knotted ribbon. It has become a place of brief sanctuary for pilgrims, who could add their own knots to the grotto, representing their worries or fears, which were written on the ribbon. It was supposed to stay intact through the papal weekend, then be dismantled.

Then the unexpected happened. During his parade on Sunday, the pope himself visited and blessed the Knotted Grotto. He also embraced Sister Mary Scullion, co-founder of the homeless advocacy group Project HOME. Scullion says that Archbishop Charles Caput interceded on behalf of the Grotto to inspire the pope to stop there. Scullion points out how much the pope’s blessing must mean to those faithful who wrote down their prayers and wishes on the ribbons of the Grotto.

Now the Grotto will stay open for at least one extra week, thanks to overwhelming public response. There were lines around the corner to enter the Grotto all weekend, and that was before the pope’s blessing. Artist Meg Seligman, who created the grotto, said that there’s no way they could dismantle it right now.