Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes

Bernadette Soubirous, a 14‑year‑old girl from Lourdes, said that on 11 February 1858, while gathering firewood near the Grotto of Massabielle, she heard a sudden sound “like a gust of wind.” When she looked up, she reported seeing a young Lady dressed in white, with a blue sash and a rosary in her hands. Bernadette said the Lady made the sign of the cross and invited her to pray. In the days that followed, Bernadette stated that the Lady appeared to her repeatedly. During one of these encounters, the Lady reportedly said: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next.” She asked Bernadette to return to the grotto for fifteen days, to pray for sinners, and to do penance. On 25 February, Bernadette said the Lady instructed her: “Go and drink at the spring and wash yourself there.” Bernadette dug into the earth as directed, and a small trickle of water began to flow from the ground. This spring would later become associated with healings and pilgrimages. On 25 March 1858, during the sixteenth apparition, Bernadette asked the Lady her name. She reported that the Lady replied in the local dialect: “Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou” — “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Bernadette, who had little religious education, said she repeated the words over and over so she would not forget them before telling her parish priest. The apparitions drew crowds, controversy, and official investigations. Bernadette was questioned repeatedly by civil and Church authorities, who examined her behaviour and consistency. After several years of study, the Bishop of Tarbes declared in 1862 that the apparitions were worthy of belief. A chapel was built at the grotto, and the spring was protected. Pilgrims began to arrive from across France and then from around the world, seeking prayer, healing, and consolation. Lourdes eventually became one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world, known especially for its baths fed by the spring Bernadette uncovered.