The Grotto of Massabielle is a must for all visitors to the Shrine of Lourdes, whether they are ordinary visitors or believers. The visit to the Grotto is silent, most people touch the wall of the Grotto with their fingers in respect or to make a wish or a prayer. Processions are organised too for infirm pilgrims.
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People come to Lourdes to go to the Grotto where Bernadette saw the Virgin Mary. This place is a place of prayer, trust, peace, respect, unity and silence that we can take advantage of in different ways.
Thursday, February 11th 1858 was the day Our Lady revealed herself to Bernadette in the grotto at Massabielle (Old Rock) by the river Gave just outside Lourdes. The grotto itself was not a particularly savoury place, full of river-swept debris and where pigs had been kept.
Spiritually, in the Bible, the Rock symbolises trust in God, the stone on which the Church is built, the solid word on which we lean. Although the current health crisis does currently allow us to touch the Rock, you can make this gesture in your heart at the feet of the Virgin Mary.
Religious grottoesThey are often used as shrines in which to place statues of saints, particularly the Virgin Mary, in outdoor gardens. Many Roman Catholics visit a grotto where Bernadette Soubirous saw apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes. Numerous garden shrines are modeled after these apparitions.
It is this very water that fills the Baths or Piscines in which pilgrims bathe on pilgrimage. This water is also available at taps throughout the Sanctuary for pilgrims to drink, wash, and bottle at will, above which it reads: “Wash your face and ask God to purify your heart.”
Lourdes: At a GlanceSince then, Lourdes has become one of the holiest Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world, visited annually by more than five million people who come in search of healing from its sacred waters.
In more than 150 years, even after millions of pilgrims have traveled to Lourdes, only 70 miracles are officially recorded. The miraculous waters of Lourdes, France, are known throughout the world.
Instead, the volunteers of the Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes are inviting pilgrims to take part in the water gesture by washing their face, hands and forearms with water from the miraculous spring. The gesture can be done alone, but also with family, friends or those close to them.
There is so much for you to see and do. Begin the afternoon in the city center and grab some local cuisine for lunch at one of the many restaurants, relax and take in the ambiance! Afterward, hop on the Petit Train Touristique (Little Train of Lourdes) to see some of the city`s highlights.
A nice day at the lakeA lovely day trip to the lake. Great for swimming and other water sports like paddleboarding, canoeing. Nice walk from the centre of Lourdes.
5 Lourdes Is One Of The Top Christian Pilgrimage SitesLourdes is the top-visited pilgrimage site in France and one of the top pilgrimage sites in the Christian world. It receives around 6 million pilgrims every year who come ot venerate the site.
Lourdes water is free and free to access from the Sanctuary's taps and Drinking Fountains. It cannot be sold. If you would like to receive some water, the Sanctuary of Lourdes invites you to contact the pilgrimage organisation closest to you.