UNFORGETTABLE VISIT. LOURDES, FRANCE

Lourdes is the most famous healing shrine in the world but it’s a fascinating pilgrimage destination for anyone, even if you’re not in need of a miracle. People from many nations fill its streets.

Each year the French shrine of Lourdes draws millions of visitors from around the world. But when a young servant girl named Bernadette Soubirous claimed to see a radiant vision of a woman in white here on February 11, 1858, it was a just small market town virtually unknown to the larger world.

Over the next five months the lady would appear 17 more times to Bernadette, visions that the Roman Catholic Church (though initially skeptical) would declare authentic appearances of the Virgin Mary. Miraculous cures have been associated with Lourdes ever since.

Lourdes today is far different from the isolated mountain hamlet of 1858. During the main pilgrimage season that runs from Easter through the end of October, an average of 25,000 pilgrims gather here each day in the shrine located in the center of Lourdes.

Several huge basilicas and churches dominate the grounds, each with many services throughout the day and evening. The torchlight processions for which Lourdes is famous wind between them, a flickering ribbon of light held by pilgrims singing hymns of praise to Mary.

While Lourdes has clearly changed from the time Bernadette saw the first vision, the heart of the grotto remains essentially the same. The large outcropping of stone known as Massabiele is still there, and in the niche where the lady had appeared to Bernadette stands a statue of the Virgin Mary, her hands joined in prayer as her eyes gazed heavenward.

Below, a long line of people slowly wind into the area beneath the stone, where they reverently touch the rock and leave photographs, flowers, and other tokens near the spring that had been uncovered by Bernadette. A rack of candles burns brightly in front of the grotto, and nearby is a line of spigots where people collect water from the spring.

I visited Lourdes on the days surrounding February 11, the anniversary of the first apparition and a feast day of Bernadette. More than 20,000 pilgrims would join me in the celebrations at the shrine. (About 25,000 pilgrims are present daily in Lourdes during the main pilgrimage season that runs from Easter through the end of October.)

Seeking Healing Miracles

The diversity of people was striking: nuns in long habits, elderly couples, young people traveling in groups, elegant Italian women in fur coats, and groups of men holding large banners aloft bearing the names of their cities and churches.

After several more blocks, the commercial district ended and I reached the entrance to the shrine. Just inside St. Joseph’s Gate, a large marble statue depicted the Virgin Mary appearing to a man in a hospital bed. A few more steps and a huge basilica came into view, an imposing structure with a gilded crown set atop its lower level. Two ramps extended like arms from each side, ending in a huge square and esplanade capable of holding many thousands of people.




Located in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains near the Spanish border, Lourdes has a population of just 15,000 (but more hotels than any other French city except Paris).

The main pilgrimage season in Lourdes runs from Easter through the end of October. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is open 24 hours every day, and admission is free.





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