11/4: Lourdes, FR: Moving Visit to the Grotto, Basilicas & Stations of the Cross

In 1858 the city of Lourdes rose to prominence in France and abroad due to the Marian apparitions claimed to have been seen by a 14-year-old peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, who was later canonized. Shortly thereafter, the city with the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes became one of the world's most important sites of pilgrimage and religious tourism.

According to believers, the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette on a total of eighteen occasions at Lourdes. In the evening of February 11, 1858, Bernadette, at her parents' request, went to collect some firewood with her sister and a friend when a lady whom she described as wearing a white veil and a blue girdle and holding a rosary of pearls appeared to her at the Massabielle Grotto. Although she did not tell Bernadette her name when asked at first, she told her to return to the grotto. On subsequent visits, the lady revealed herself to be the "Immaculate Conception." 

This was a reference to the dogma of the Immaculate Conception which had been defined only four years earlier in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, stating that the Virgin Mary herself had been conceived without sin. Bernadette, having only a rudimentary knowledge of the Catholic faith, didn't understand what that meant but she reported it to her parish priest, Father Peyremale. He, though initially very skeptical of Bernadette's claims, became convinced when he heard this because he knew the young girl had no knowledge of the doctrine. The Lady also told Bernadette to dig in the ground at a certain spot and to drink from the small spring of water that began to bubble up. 

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is comprised of three churches and also the Grotto of Massabielle. The church behind me was the Basilica of the Rosary and, immediately above it, the Upper Basilica. From the photo, it's impossible to see where one ended and the other began. That will become clear, however, further down.

We had no idea why so many bishops had congregated in front of the Basilica of the Rosary but we joined the very short line of people waiting to enter the church.  

How fantastically lucky were we to arrive at the Basilica of the Rosary just moments before they allowed the last dozen people to be sat for the Mass with all of France’s bishops present! We found out the Mass will even be televised on New Year’s Eve.

How's your command of French? Basically, the handout we were given when we entered just indicated the Mass would be televised, etc! Luckily, my knowledge of French is good enough so I can get by pretty easily although it's rusty from not needing to use it in the States. 

We were seated very close to the altar but off to the side so were extremely fortunate, even if the bright TV lights were detrimental to the religious experience. 

Once the special Mass was over, we spent a few minutes walking around the basilica. We had been sitting right here on the right. 

A side view of the Basilica of the Rosary and the Upper Basilica on the right, with the latter accessed by a lovely circular ramp:

We noticed many, many people purchased multiple candles at about $11 each prior to visiting the Massabielle Grotto just steps away from both basilicas. That was where Bernadette reported seeing 18 apparitions while living with her sister, two brothers and parents in one room in a former prison called Le Cachot. The custom of carrying lighted candles to the Grotto arose from Bernadette's carrying a lighted candle for protection when she made her fourth appearance at the Grotto on February 19, 1858.

Because it was the slow season in terms of so few tourists, we fortunately only had to wait in line a couple of minutes to see the Grotto. It was a lovely place set in idyllic surroundings and very peaceful and quiet. I read that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI both came to pray here.

Remember this scene for later!

It was very touching to see the faith of the people visiting who had come from far and wide. I had read that there were often organized prayers and services at the Grotto but none took place while we were there. Karen: When you and Mike visited, were there any Masses at the Grotto?

Seeing the photo again I took of the Grotto gives me chills remembering my touching the rocks directly under the statue as it was very moving to be in such a holy spot. So many people have touched the same rocks, the stones have become polished. We had come such a short way, relatively speaking, unlike so many other people and was so glad we'd made the effort to detour to Lourdes just to be able to visit the Grotto. 

When only the young Bernadette saw the apparitions and not the other children collecting wood with her, no one could imagine that it would be the start of a religious adventure with ripples around the world. It started in this Grotto which is central in the building complex of the Sanctuary of Lourdes. 

This was the specific spot in the Grotto where Bernadette dug for water at the Lady's urging and where a spring of water subsequently bubbled up. The spring was shielded by a glass cover. 

It was truly an honor to experience the Grotto. The overall feeling was that of holiness, sacredness and reverence. When we visited in early November, the tourist season was well past which meant we didn't have to contend with large crowds. However, I think we lost part of the impact that comes with large group of people at a holy site. In the end, that didn't matter as it was an experience I'll never forget.

A view of the front of the Grotto with the entrance on the left. 

Another side perspective shot of the two basilicas:

Just beyond the Grotto we saw people lined up to fill bottles of all sizes with water that gushed from the source of the spring. Every shop in town had sold bottles of all sizes for just this purpose. Interestingly, this water was actually not classified as holy water, as it hadn't been blessed by a priest. Nevertheless, there have been stories of pilgrims being healed from various diseases after drinking it.

We then walked across the river that separated the basilicas and a large park. 

First, though, was another opportunity to buy candles and put them in special holders in the Chapel of Lights. I hate to be the sourpuss but it was distressing to me seeing such vast numbers of candles and other religious items being sold for exorbitant prices and wondering who was profiting at what should ideally be a purely holy site. There were spots for literally thousands of candles in these archways.

How glorious it was seeing the sun again after the dreary afternoon the day before in Lourdes and especially knowing it would be the last sun for a while after looking at the upcoming weather forecast.

Two hours later, after taking advantage of the sun in the park, we watched as the man finally lit all the candles he’d been installing by the grotto. 

We walked up the ramp to the Upper Basilica, also known as the Basilica of Immaculate Conception, that was above the Basilica of the Rosary. 

Never had I seen pews and kneelers so well loved as they were in this Basilica!

Pope Pius IX conferred the title of Basilica to the former Chapel of Immaculate Conception in May of 1879.

The window depicted the 13th apparition from March 2, 1858, where Bernadette said she was instructed to go and tell the priests to come to the Grotto in procession and that a chapel be built.

In the second apparition, Bernadette threw holy water so the vision would disappear if it came from the devil.

There were only about a dozen people in the Upper Basilica, so it was exceedingly peaceful and serene as we admired the beautiful stained glass windows which related the story of each apparition.  

From the Upper Basilica's portico, we had a glorious view down the grand boulevard that swept away from the churches and toward Porte St. Michel at the entrance. 

A side view of the Upper Basilica before we began walking the Stations of the Cross which led for over a mile up a hillside from the Upper Basilica. 

A view of the ancient castle above Lourdes that was on an even higher hill than the one we were climbing:

There was a sign asking people to go up the Scala Sancta or Holy Stairs on their knees. They were a replica of the stairs in Rome, and were very much a part of the pilgrimage experience in Lourdes. The 28 stairs represented the steps between Pilate and Jesus in the courts, before Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion. These would definitely not the best thing for you, Lil Red! I made it up a couple but gave out after that and I have decent knees. 

The Stations or Way of the Cross were each represented by life-size bronze figures. 

I couldn't imagine a more serene area for the Stations than this wooded area with magnificent views all around. What a shame the steepness of the hillside must have made it physically difficult or even impossible for many to walk the Stations. 

At the half way mark, the 7th Station marked when Jesus fell for a second time under the cross.

What a perfect time we’d chosen to spend doing the Stations as so many of the lifelike figures were bathed in the late afternoon light.

As we walked by the 14th Station of the Cross, in which Jesus was being buried, I could hear a shepherd nearby herding his flock of cows by their bells. If I didn't know any better, it sounded like a scene from the Bible was being played out just out of sight. 

Although not traditionally part of the Stations, the Resurrection of Jesus is, in very rare instances, included as a fifteenth station. That was the case here, much to my surprise. 

For me, the most moving station was the 15th seeing all the rosaries that had been placed or flung on the branches high above by prior pilgrims.

The Grotto of the Two Marys, also known as the Way of Compassion, allowed parents to reconnect with a life that was thought to be lost.

We’d chatted the afternoon before while at Bernadette's home, Le Cachot, with two American women on a pilgrimage to holy sites in France, Spain, and Portugal. They’d mentioned they’d been fortunate enough to have attended an early morning Mass here and how unbelievably special that had been. When they told us about going to Fatima, the pilgrimage site north of Lisbon, we decided to also look into going there. As a result of that conversation, we spent a couple of hours at that special place on our way to Coimbra from Lisbon just a few days ago. You can read all about our visit in a month or more when I finally get to writing about that part of our trip!

Think of the image of the scale at the Stations of the Cross at Lourdes: 115 figures were represented in 15 stations along the 1,500 meter path.

I was surprised we’d only seen about a dozen people the entire time while walking the Stations of the Cross but we were thankful to be there in the quiet season and not be surrounded by mobs of people as we would have been in the summertime. Pausing and reflecting at the figures gave me time to think of the horror and inhumanity suffered by Jesus and, sadly, too many other people to count. 

We walked back to the town of Lourdes to continue seeing the sites associated with St. Bernadette we'd begun looking at the day before. The St. Michel Bridge was created as the direct axis to the Grotto from the train station so that people could visit the shrines more easily.

The main square in the historic quarter, Lapoacca Square, became Jeanne d’Arc Square after her beatification in 1909.

We knew to simply follow the painted blue line to see more of the sights associated with St. Bernadette.

The Hospital was built on the site of where St. Bernadette attended classes from 1858 until 1866 when she left Lourdes to enter a convent in Nevers. That was where her body was laid to rest.

The Fountain of the Three Nozzles was the oldest fountain in Lourdes and owed its name to its three nozzles. Its connection to St. Bernadette was unclear to me. 

This was the door St. Bernadette walked through to tell her parish priest, Father Peyramale, about her visions in 1858.

The building on the left dated from 1791 and looked like it was about to fall apart.

It seemed only fitting that the last stop on our walking tour was the Cemetery of Equality! In the 19th century, the medieval cemetery located in St. Pierre Church became too small so it was moved to this spot on the Street of Equality. 

The Soubirous Family Crypt:

I couldn’t get over all the fresh flowers there were at graves not associated with St. Bernadette, more than in any cemetery we’ve ever seen, I think.

This shrine was dedicated to WWII resistance fighters.

As you can no doubt tell from my comments above, being at Lourdes was a very moving experience. Being able to follow St. Bernadette's journey through the homes she lived in, then visiting the Grotto where only she witnessed the apparitions and then the basilicas and the hillside Stations of the Cross was something I shall always hold dear. 

Next post: Visiting the Basque region's cities of Bayonne and San Sebastian en route to Bilbao, Spain.

Posted on December 15th, 2018, from Porto, Portugal.