Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Lourdes
The small French town of Lourdes centers around the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the largest Catholic pilgrimage destination in France and perhaps the most popular Catholic sacred site in the world. The town of only 17,000 inhabitants receives more than 5 million pilgrims and tourists each year.
History
It was a young girl's visions of the Virgin Mary that put the little town of Lourdes on the map and have attracted millions of pilgrims and tourists to Lourdes ever since.
On February 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous (or Soubiroux) as she searched for firewood in the remote Grotto of Massabielle. More visions followed, for a total of 18, with the last occuring on July 16, 1858.
The Virgin Mary appeared as a young and beautiful lady ("lovelier than I have ever seen," Bernadette said) and told the young girl to drink from a natural fountain in the grotto (previously undiscovered) and to tell the priests to build a chapel on the spot and make processions to the grotto.
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It was only four years later, in 1862, that the bishop of the diocese declared the faithful "justified in believing the reality of the apparition" and a basilica was built upon the rock of Massabielle by M. Peyramale, the parish priest.
A statue of the Madonna of Lourdes was erected at the site in 1864. In 1873 the great French pilgrimages to Lourdes were inaugurated. Three years later, the basilica was consecrated and the statue solemnly crowned.
In 1883 the foundation stone of another church was laid, as the first was no longer large enough. Consecrated in 1901, it was built at the foot of the basilica and named the Church of the Rosary.
Pope Leo XIII authorized a special office and a Mass in commemoration of the Lourdes apparitions and in 1907 Pius X extended the observance of this feast to the entire Church. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is now observed on February 11.
Bernadette Soubirous entered the Monastery of Nevers in 1866. She died there after a long period of illness in 1879. She was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1933. Like many saints, her body has remained miraculously preserved.
What to See
The entire complex of religious buildings and sacred sites in Lourdes is referred to as the Sanctuary (or Sanctuaries) of Lourdes. It consists of 52 hectares of property and 22 places of worship.
Among the most notable sacred sites in the Sanctuary of Lourdes are the Grotto of Massbielle, where the apparitions occurred and pilgrims can bathe in the healing waters; the Basilica of the Rosary; and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
From March (Palm Sunday) to October, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is the goal of mass pilgrimages from Europe and other parts of the world (August is the most popular month for pilgrimages to Lourdes, so book your hotel early if you travel then). Every day during this period, at 4:30pm, the Procession Eucharistique (Blessed Sacrament Procession) takes place, with pilgrims carrying banners along the Esplanade des Processions. Torch light processions are held nightly at 8:45 PM from the Massabielle Grotto. It can be a spectacular sight with the majestic snowcapped Pyrenees in the background.
Never has a sanctuary attracted such throngs. At the end of the year 1908, when the 50th anniversary of the apparition was celebrated, although the record really only began from 1867, 5297 pilgrimages had been registered and these had brought 4,919,000 pilgrims. Individual pilgrims are more numerous by far than those who come in groups. To their number must be added the visitors who do not come as pilgrims, but who are attracted by a religious feeling or sometimes merely by the desire to see this far-famed spot.
Every nation in the world furnishes its contingent. Out of the total of pilgrimages given above, 464 came from countries other than France. They are sent by the United States, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Italy, England, Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Bolivia, etc. The bishops lead the way. At the end of the year of the 50th anniversary, 2013 prelates, including 546 archbishops, 10 primates, 19 patriarchs, 69 cardinals, had made the pilgrimage to Lourdes.
On August 15, 2004, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to Lourdes to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. You can read his remarks here.
- Lourdes-france.org – Official site
- Map of the Santuaries of Lourdes - very detailed and useful
- Apparitions of Mary
- Cures and Miracles
- Daily Timetable (PDF)
- Webcams - several real-time webcams of various sites
- Lourdes Office de Tourisme
- Notre-Dame de Lourdes – Catholic Encyclopedia
- Lourdes Travel Guide – Virtual Tourist
- Lourdes Travel - TripAdvisor
- Introduction to Lourdes – Frommers
- Lourdes, France – Lonely Planet
- Lourdes – Let's Go Guides
- A Visit to Lourdes – Spirituality.org
- A Pilgrimage to Lourdes – Savvy Traveler. A non-religious account.
- We're Saved by a Jehovah's Witness – June 1, 2001
