MONK CREATES HOLY LAND OUT OF COLD CREAM JARS

MONK CREATES HOLY LAND OUT OF COLD CREAM JARS

CULLMAN, Ala. (Wireless Flash) -- Tourists who can't shell out the bucks to see the sites in Rome may want to head to Cullman, Alabama, instead. That's where a Benedictine monk has created a pint-sized version of ancient Rome and the Holy Land made entirely out of empty cold cream jars, marbles, shells and other bits of junk. The four-acre park is called "Ava Maria Grotto," and it features more than 125 biblical buildings created out of old cold cream jars including Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Grotto manager Monroe Sears says the project was started in 1934 by a monk named Brother Joseph who worked non-stop until his death in 1961. Even more amazing, Brother Joseph created the junk-filled Jerusalem without ever setting a foot in the famous places -- he just used pictures to create the mini-replicas.

CONTACT: Monroe Sears, ***; Cullman, AL; (256) 734-4110