Father Sorin, upon visiting the French shrine where Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette on 18 occasions in 1858, strongly desired to build a replica at Notre Dame. In April of 1878, construction of this grotto was completed. Sorin's grotto was not the exact replica of Lourdes that was intended, so Father Corby desired to build a better and more perfect replica. After Sorin passed away, Corby visited Lourdes and vowed that if the virgin mother would grant a prayer request of his, he would build a grotto at Notre Dame in her honor. On the first day of May, 1875 – the month of Mary – his prayer request was granted. On the first day of May, 1896, Corby received his first donation.

Rev. Thomas Carroll, former Notre Dame theology student, agreed to cover the costs for the Grotto, approximately $2,500. Corby, in gratitude for the generous gift from Father Carroll, writes, “You will have made many good investments; but likely this [is] the best you ever made. With the prayers of the community and the maternal care of Mary, you, I hope will be richly rewarded in time and in eternity.”

The grotto was assembled from more than two tons of boulders from nearby farms. Built in three months, it is one-seventh the size of the shrine in France where Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette 18 times in 1858. The Grotto was dedicated on August 5, 1896, the Feast of Our Lady of Snows, by celebration of Holy Mass followed by an ornate procession of 500 priests, brothers, and nuns.

The Grotto is frequented regularly by students who wish to find a quiet place to pray. In addition, outdoor Masses are occasionally held here throughout the year and the Rosary is prayed here every day at 6:45. Father Sorin placed this university under Mary’s patronage from the start, and Notre Dame's strong devotionis still present today, as Our Lady has guided Notre Dame over its robust history.

In his commencement address in 2013, Cardinal Timothy Dolan perfectly expresses the meaning of the grotto and importance of Marian devotion for the student body: “At this grotto there’s a touch of the transcendent, a hint of the beyond, a whisper of the sacred, that reminds us that we’re not just minds and bodies, but hearts and immortal souls, [called to] an adventure in fidelity that beckons us to cast out to the deep […] She’d remind us that He has a plan for us, that these years of college have been a part of it, and that we’re happiest when our plans are consonant with His.”