A small village that became an international sanctuaryIt all began in 1858 with the apparitions in Lourdes. At the time, it was just a small, modest and little-known town in the Pyrenees. Today, Lourdes is one of the largest Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world. Read more...

A mysterious encounter continuesAfter the first apparition on 11 February 1858 in Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous felt an inner calling. Despite her parents' prohibitions and the doubts of the locals, she returned to the grotto of Massabielle. Read more...

11 February 1858 in the heart of the PyreneesOn 11 February 1858, in the small town of Lourdes, a 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous went with her sister and a friend to the rock of Massabielle to gather wood. It was cold. Her family lived in extreme poverty, in the town's former dungeon. While the other two girls crossed the stream, Bernadette stayed behind. It was at that precise moment that an unexpected event would change her life forever... and leave a deep mark on Christian history. Read more...

Every year, millions of pilgrims from all over the world come to Lourdes to entrust their prayers to the Virgin Mary, to drink from the spring discovered by Saint Bernadette and to walk in the footsteps of the woman who saw the Immaculate Conception. Whether you're going on your own, with your family or in a parish group, a pilgrimage to Lourdes is not just a tourist trip: it's a real step of faith, and one that deserves to be well prepared. Here are a few tips to help you get on your way, inside and out, to this blessed place. Read more...

A place that speaks to the heartLourdes, despite its image sometimes associated with suffering or old age, attracts thousands of young people every year from all over France and the world. This is not due to obligation or family tradition, but often by choice, by an inner call. Lourdes is a simple place, without pomp or ceremony, but where you can feel a special peace. Many young people discover there a silence that speaks, a grotto that consoles, a light that enlightens. Read more...