Lourdes

Introducing Lourdes

Lourdes, 43km southeast of Pau, was just a sleepy market town until 1858, when Bernadette Soubirous (1844–79), a near-illiterate, 14-year-old peasant girl, saw the Virgin Mary in a series of 18 visions that came to her in a grotto. After long deliberation, the Vatican confirmed them as bona fide apparitions and the little country girl, having lived out her short life as a nun, was declared Ste Bernadette in 1933.

Nowadays Lourdes is one of the world’s most important pilgrimage sites, descended upon annually by some five million visitors from all over the world. Well over half are pilgrims, including many invalids seeking cures. Nowadays, 58% of pilgrims come from beyond France’s frontiers – and two-thirds are over 45 years old.

Accompanying the fervent piety of the pilgrims is an astounding display of tacky commercial exuberance – shake-up snow domes, packets of sugared almonds saying ‘I prayed for you at the Grotte of Lourdes’ and plastic bottles in the shape of the Virgin (just add holy water at the shrine) are but a sample. Even the best bookshop in town had a notice ‘Special Price To Clear: Quality Crucifixes €5.50’. Yes, it’s easy to mock, but it’s also worth remembering that some people spend their life savings to come here.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009