All Episodes

December 13, 2021 12 mins
Cullman is the largest city and county seat of Cullman County, Alabama..located just 50 miles north of Birmingham. Five German families moved to the area in March 1873; and by 1874, the town was incorporated and named after Colonel Cullmann. Over the next 20 years, Cullmann encouraged around 100,000 Germans to immigrate to the United States, with many settling in the Cullman area. In the 1840s monks from Metten Abbey in Germany, a monastery founded in 700 A.D., came to America, to minister to the growing German-speaking immigrant population. St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, became the first foundation of the German monks, and in the 1870s monks from St. Vincent were sent to Alabama to serve the needs of German Catholics. In 1891 those monks gathered to establish St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Alabama. One of those monks, was Bavarian born Joseph Zoettl, the creator of Ave Maria Grotto.

[FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA & MORE]

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/SouthernOddPod

INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/SouthernOddPod

JARED'S TWITTER: www.twitter.com/jared_ordis

JARED'S INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/jared.ordis

[ADDITONAL INFORMATION]

Questions or Business Inquiry, Email Us @ ordisstudios@gmail.com

Researched was used for this episode of Southern Oddities, and we couldn't have made it possible without the journalism and dedication from these awesome sources of information: Roadside America [Story 2015] Ave Maria Grotto [Main Website] Wikipedia [Ave Maria Grotto] Wikipedia [Cullman, Alabama] Encyclopedia of Alabama [Ave Maria Grotto] Atlas Obscura [Ave Maria Grotto] The Bama Buzz [The Hidden History of Cullams Ave Maria Grotto] St Bernard Abbey [Main Website]

"Southern Oddities" is created & produced by Jared Ordis, an Ordis Studios production.

This show is part of the Ordis Studios Network

Copyright © 2021 by Ordis Studios

www.ordisstudios.com
Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.