It was the events of 11 February 1858 that  changed the future of the small rural town of Lourdes hidden in the Pyrénées.

On that day a young girl of 14 years, Bernadette Soubirous, went with her sister and another girl to gather wood along the banks of the river Gave. Above an open cave Bernadette saw “A Beautiful Lady”.

She appeared to her eighteen times between 11th February and 16th July. But it was the words that were spoken on the 13th apparition that were to be decisive for the future of Lourdes: “Go tell the priests to build a chapel here and come here in procession”. It was not until the sixteenth apparition on 25th March that the “Lady” revealed herself: “I am the Immaculate Conception”.

Boly Mill, Bernadette's birth place ©Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Lourdes/EURL Basilique du Rosaire

On 18th January 1862, the Bishop of Tarbes, Mgr. Laurence, spoke on behalf of the church and confirmed ‘The Virgin Mary has truly appeared to Bernadette Soubirous’.

Today Lourdes is one of the most visited place of pilgrimage, a place of universal meeting and sharing, where thousands of volunteers accompany the hope of the sick and the handicapped who form the “Heart” of official pilgrimages. The serenity and tranquillity of Lourdes has brought peace of mind to many pilgrims.