The Story of Lourdes

Bernadette Soubirous was born in Lourdes on 7th January 1844. Her family was very poor, and lived in what was the town prison (The Cachot). Because of Bernadette’s poor health, she spent some of her childhood living with her aunt in Bartres, looking after sheep.At the age of 14 Bernadette returned to Lourdes to prepare for her First Communion. On Thursday 11th February 1858 Mary appeared to Bernadette while she was collecting firewood. At the sight of this beautiful lady, Berndatte knelt and prayed the Rosary, one of the few prayers that she knew. The lady did not speak, and when Bernadette’s prayer was finished, she vanished. This was the first of 18 apparitions during the next 5 months. Despite the crowds that gathered to watch each day, only Bernadette ever saw the lady.

Sometimes Mary spoke to her:

“I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but only in the next.”
“Pray for Sinners”
“Penance, Penance, Penance.”
“Go tell the priests to build a chapel here, and to come here in procession.”

On one occasion, Mary instructed Bernadette “Go and drink at the spring and wash in it”. The onlookers thought that Bernadette was insane as she dug in the ground and drank the muddy water, however the water eventually ran clear and became the source of the Baths and taps in the Domain.

The following day, a blind man, Louis Bouriette, washed in the spring and he was cured. This was the first of 62 cures that the Church Commissioners in Lourdes have recognised as miraculous.

The local clergy took much persuasion from Bernadette before they finally built a small chapel at the sight of the apparitions. Monsignor Peyramale oversaw the construction of a small church, on the top of the cliff above the Grotto. Since then many churches have been built, to cope with the increasing numbers of pilgrims.

Bernadette joined the closed order of the Sisters of Nevers to escape the attention of the crowds, leaving Lourdes for good 8 years after the apparitions. She was treated very harshly by the Mistress of Novices, and it was for her holiness during life in the convent that Bernadette was canonised as a saint 1933, 54 years after her death.