The apparition of Mary and the miraculous fountain
Once a small town in the Bigorre region (la Bigorre), Lourdes became a great religious city in the 19th century as a place of miracles.
On February 11, 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year-old girl, saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary in a cave while picking up firewood and was present for the next 18 apparitions.
During the last apparition, water gushed out from the spot where Bernadette had touched, and drinking this water performed the miracle of curing an incurable disease.
It is said that many pilgrims take water from this place and bring it back home, and that the water can be used for a long time without being damaged.
Since then, the rumor has spread to all of Europe, and people from all over the world have come to the site to seek healing. Many miracles have been reported.
Bernadette became a nun at the convent of Saint-Girard in Nevers in 1862 and died in 1879 at the age of 30. She was subsequently canonized in 1925.
After her burial, her body was exhumed and is still preserved in a glass reliquary where pilgrims come to pray.
The monastery of Saint-Girard offers pilgrims lodging in the monastery and the opportunity to experience the monastic life.