Join a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, and strengthen your faith

Posted on 03/24/2016 | About Lourdes, France

One of the world’s most important pilgrimage sites for the Catholic faithful - Lourdes, France.  Lourdes is a town that welcomes about 6 million pilgrims annually from all over the world.

Once a small market town, Lourdes is now known as the largest Marian pilgrimage center in the world. It was in 1858 that the town became famous because of the apparitions of the Holy Mother to Marie-Bernadette Soubirous at the Massabielle grotto. In one of the Holy Mother’s visitations, Bernadette was instructed to dig in the ground at a certain spot and to drink from the small spring of water, afterwards countless of miracles and cures were attributed to the spring water.  The Virgin May appeared to her 18 times which were later confirmed by the Vatican. Bernadette Soubirous was officially canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XI in 1933. The town can be reached by car, bus, train from numerous cities including Paris and Toulouse, with special coaches from United Kingdom and Ireland.  The Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport is the nearest airport to Lourdes. It is located about 15 kilometers from the heart of the town.

For a Catholic faithful, Lourdes must be visited at least once in a lifetime. It is the perfect place to restore or strengthen your faith. Thousands of miracles have been attributed to Lourdes and the reason why pilgrims from all over the world who are sick visit the town hoping for a miracle. There are 17 pools in Grotto of Massabielle. 11 pools for women and 6 for men, pools where pilgrims who need healing flock to. The spring water coming from the grotto is said to have miraculous powers. Adjacent to the grotto is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes where masses are held regularly. It has been said that visiting the church and the grotto will move you spiritually and touch your soul. You must also visit the L'Eglise Paroissiale du Sacre-Coeur, Le Petit Lourdes, Casa Natal Bernadette, and the Musee de la Medaille Miraculeuse, which are all relevant to what the town stands for, a bastion of the Catholic faith.

Leave your cares and worries behind, and join a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France.  Consult our agency's specialists for more details.