Brief Introduction to Our Lady of Lourdes
Located in the Pyrenees Mountain region of France, Lourdes is the home of one of the most significant shrines the Catholic Faith: the Grotto of Massabielle.
This region of France was a strategic stronghold throughout medieval times. During the Hundred Years War, the French captured this region from the English 1406 after an 18-month siege. The medieval castle was a state prison from the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) until the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was 1858 when Lourdes as a military and state stronghold ended and its spiritual importance began.
This region of France was a strategic stronghold throughout medieval times. During the Hundred Years War, the French captured this region from the English 1406 after an 18-month siege. The medieval castle was a state prison from the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) until the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was 1858 when Lourdes as a military and state stronghold ended and its spiritual importance began.
Bernadette Soubirous, a young fourteen year old peasant girl, experienced eighteen apparitions between February 11 and July 26 during 1858 from the Virgin Mary in the nearby grotto. It was only until the ninth apparition that the healing powers were revealed and Bernadette Soubirous was the only one who could see the vision although sometimes many stood with her and watched.
The reaction of millions of us to that invitation is completed in Lourdes each year. Today Lourdes is seen as a significant sight and a world center of pilgrimage and a special place of gathering between God and People.
The reaction of millions of us to that invitation is completed in Lourdes each year. Today Lourdes is seen as a significant sight and a world center of pilgrimage and a special place of gathering between God and People.