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.
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The Healing WatersAs Catholics, we see water, tied to the sacredness of Baptism, as a sign. Combined with faith, water can heal. Many miracles have been attributed to bathing in or drinking the water at Lourdes as well as to participating in the Eucharistic Procession and Adoration.
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.
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.”
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.
Many miracles have been attributed to bathing in or drinking the water at Lourdes as well as to participating in the Eucharistic Procession and Adoration. Pilgrims may experience healing in body, mind or spirit and leave with a deeper sense of God's presence and love in their lives.
Wandering the streets of Lourdes is an unforgettable experience, but the city's underground also features some landmarks. The Basilica of St. Pius X is a massive religious building within the Boulevard Père. This architectural marvel was completed in 1958 and can accommodate up to 25,000 worshipers.
The act of drinking water is one of the highlights of the pilgrim's journey to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The volunteers of the Hospitalité Notre-Dame de Lourdes welcome you and guide you through this important moment linked to the ninth apparition: “Go and drink and wash at the fountain”.
Soon, pilgrims began coming to Lourdes from far away. They were attracted by stories of apparitions and miraculous healings that occurred when infirm people bathed in the spring water. After four years of skepticism, the Roman Catholic Church validated Bernadette's claims that she had seen the mother of Jesus.
Coming to the GrottoThis is where the Virgin Mary first appeared to the young Bernadette, on 11 February 1858. Pilgrims queue there in single file to touch the rock lightly with their fingertips, see the water from the spring and pray.
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.
Grotto in Lourdes, FranceThe Lourdes Grotto is the spot where Saint Bernadette experienced 18 apparitions in 1858. Today, it is open to the public for candle lighting and, at specific times, to bathe in the healing water. What is this? There are two queues, one for men, the other for women.