The medieval castle that rises above the waters of the Gave de Pau and overlooks the roofs of the urban center of Lourdes is evident proof of the long history of this French town located at the foot of the Pyrenees. In fact, there was a fortress before the one that is preserved today. So old that it is thought that it was already a strategic fort in Roman times. And it is also known that much later, back in the 8th century, Charlemagne's troops besieged the place before conquering it.
However, the story of Lourdes seems to begin later. Specifically on the cold morning of February 11, 1858. The story goes that little Bernadette, when she had just turned 14, went down to the river to collect firewood to heat her family home. Since they could not pay for the wood, it was common for her to go to the Gave de Pau channel to get hold of the ownerless trunks and branches that the current dragged. But that morning something extraordinary happened, which not only changed the life of that illiterate, malnourished and fragile girl's life, it also completely altered the future of the town.
Tradition says that the little girl heard a strong wind behind her. Precisely inside the Massabielle grotto. Intrigued, she approached the entrance to the cave. Inside it, she discovered a woman dressed in white and blue. A celestial apparition on a rock, which she identified with the Virgin Mary. From that day and during the following six months she saw her again 18 times. Not only that, her appearance told him to drink water and wash in the spring that flowed there.
The girl would tell her family about this and it ended up being the talk of the town. But since it was a tremendously poor family, the story was not immediately accepted. It took some time for the ecclesiastical authorities to believe her and credit the healing power of those waters. So much so, that they built a chapel there. Of course, much more modest than the monumental complex that represents the current sanctuary of Lourdes.
Today, any figure given about the religious fervor that this corner of the Pyrenees inspires is disproportionate. Up to six million visitors a year for a population that does not reach 15,000 inhabitants. After Paris, there is no more visited French destination. For this reason, it has a range of hotels and accommodations that major cities in Europe would already want.
The sanctuary extends over an area of 52 hectares and the heart of the complex is three basilicas in one. The oldest dates back to 1876 and is that of Our Lady of Lourdes, located in the highest part. While just below is the Rosary Basilica, curiously built later and with an appearance reminiscent of the Byzantine style due to its Venetian-style mosaics. But between the two there was no room for so many faithful, so in 1958, to celebrate the centenary of the apparitions, the Basilica of Pius X was excavated, with capacity for 25,000 people.
These basilicas and the cave form the fourth most visited Catholic pilgrimage destination. Only the Vatican, the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe and Our Lady Aparecida in Brazil surpass it. For all these pilgrims, dozens of masses are celebrated every day in various languages. Just like there are two processions daily. The most spectacular is the torchlight parade, which takes place at nine at night, except in the winter months. And every day the Eucharistic procession takes place between the sanctuary meadow and the Basilica of Saint Pius X.
More data. Every year up to 700 tons of wax burn thanks to the millions of candles placed (and bought) by the faithful. And as for that water to which not only curative, but miraculous powers are attributed, the data is also overwhelming. 10,000 cubic meters of holy water are consumed. That is, about ten million liters. And when walking through Lourdes, the most sought-after souvenirs are the jugs to take that water home. In addition, countless stores offer figures of the Virgin, candles and rosaries. Although you don't have to go to Lourdes to get such objects. Everything, including holy water, is just a click away from devotees thanks to the internet.
What is not achieved digitally is healing. To do this, it is mandatory to go to the sanctuary between Easter and October, with good weather. So, in addition to filling the jugs and drinking from the fountains next to the Massabielle grotto, they also go to the neighboring bathhouse. Marble basins filled with that same water await there. They are pools to immerse yourself in, purify yourself and seek healing from the ills that afflict each person.
It is a free practice. Not only that, there are dozens of volunteers from the Hospitalité Notre-Dame de Lourdes who guide the faithful, as well as offering them a towel, swimsuit or flip-flops, all for free. And for those who have mobility problems, they help with immersion. After all, tens of thousands of sick people arrive, attracted by waters to which faith attributes almost seventy miracles and some seven thousand cures. Although science finds no explanation in the mineral composition of water as fresh and healthy as any other in the Pyrenees.
But it is true that no other spring, fountain or torrent has its origin in an event as exceptional as the apparitions of the Virgin to little Bernadette. By the way, that girl only two years later left Lourdes to enter the hospice of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, in the Burgundy region. And there she died prematurely at the age of 35, since paradoxically throughout her short life she did not stop suffering from illnesses and suffered from very weak health.
