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Learn the History of the Marian Apparitions
Following the reports that Our Lady of Lourdes had appeared to Bernadette Soubirous on a total of eighteen occasions in 1858, Lourdes has developed into a major place of Roman Catholic pilgrimage and of miraculous healing. The 150th Jubilee of the first apparition took place on 11 February 2008 with an outdoor mass attended by more than ten thousand pilgrims.
Today, around six million people visit Lourdes each year. Due to the consistent stream of pilgrims and tourists, Lourdes has become the second most important center of tourism in France, following Paris. It is now the third most important international Catholic pilgrimage site.
Enjoy a walking tour of the Sanctuary of Lourdes with your guide. You’ll learn about the history of the Marian apparitions and visit the mains shrines of the Sanctuary, as well as other locations that played an important role in Lourdes’ history. Visits include the Crypte, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Basilica of the Rosary and the impressive underground Basilica Saint Pius X.
Meet your English speaking Licensed Tour Guide
Meet your English speaking local guide at a dedicated meeting point in Lourdes. By default we will set the meeting point in front of the Lourdes Tourism Office, but if you wish we can agree to another meeting point if that suits you better. Then you will have different options concerning your walking tour. You can either make your way to the Sanctuary where your guide will take you to the most important sites. Or, if you are interested in the life of Bernadette, there is also an option to follow a tour that will take you to the place where the young girl lived in Lourdes. At the beginning of your walking tour, don't hesitate to let your guide know which options you would be interested in.
Visit the Sanctuary
Begin your 2-hour guided walking tour with the visit of the Sanctuaries of Lourdes. The ensemble is the largest pilgrimage site of the town. Here, all the major churches are located as well as the grotto where the apparitions of the Virgin Mary took place. Visits include the Crypte, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Basilica of the Rosary and the impressive underground Basilica Saint Pius X.
Stop at the Grotto
Walk towards the Grotto of the apparitions and enter beneath the rock. See the spring and the famous statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, an unforgettable experience. The Grotto is the site of the extraordinary events which took place in 1858. The niche where the statue is placed marks the place where the Virgin Mary most often stood. Iit is like a window that opens onto the kingdom of God.
The Grotto is a place of prayer, hope, peace, respect, unity and silence. When passing through the Grotto or standing in front of it, each person has his or her own personal understanding of what it means. There, it is possible to fill bottles of the water of Lourdes and take time to meditate near the Grotto.
On the footsteps of Bernadette, visit the Boly Mill
During this walking tour in town, visit the house of Bernadette, the Boly Mill and then reach the ‘Cachot’, the small room where the family lived in the most difficult times. Bernadette Soubirous was born in this millhouse on the 7th of January of 1844. She lived in the water-mill with her parents for ten years. At that time, it was part of the numerous water-mills located on the edges of the river called “the Lapacca” and flowing into the river Gave de Pau. Inside you will discover the bedroom where Bernadette was born, the kitchen and the ancient water-mill with its grindstones. After 10 years of a happy life in the Mill, a set of tragic events will force the family to leave the Mill, not able to pay the rent anymore.
Visit the Cachot
By 1857, the Soubirous family fell on hard times and were obliged to move from the Boly Mill to what was a former prison, 'Le Cachot' (the cell). This small 16 square meters room (170 square feet) became the home of the family that was composed of the parents, Bernadette, her sister and her two brothers. It is at this time that the apparitions took place the first of which takes place on February 11, 1858.
