The context of building this grotto is the vision of the Madonna that a young girl, Bernadette Soubirous, experienced 18 times.

[2] Pope Francis, two days after his election as Roman Pontiff, visited the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on the afternoon of 15 March 2013 and offered prayers before the statue of the Virgin Mary.

[3] The historical context of creating a grotto in the Vatican Gardens is that on 8 December 1854 the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX at a column of the Piazza di Spagna adorned with a statue of the Madonna or Virgin Mary.

The context of the dogma was further accentuated by the visionary message given by the Madonna to Bernadette Soubirous, a young girl of 14, that "She" was the "Immaculate Conception" and that a shrine should be established for her at Massabielle near Lourdes.

[2] Pope Leo XIII called for a copy of the Grotto of Lourdes to be built and blessed[4] in the Vatican Gardens where the clergy reside, meet and hold liturgical celebrations.

[2] Another annual event held every year on 31 May, during the conclusion of the procession, is the visit of the Pope to the Grotto in order to conduct mass.