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A rest is as good as a cure  MALCOLM
ROGERS visits Lourdes.
Lourdes, a sleepy market town on the edge of the Pyrenees, was once part
of England.
Lost during the Hundred Years War (which lasted 113 years, as it happens),
it didn’t become French again until exactly 401 years ago.
Aside from the Unpleasantness with Les Rosbifs, the Pyrenean town managed
to have handbags with the Gauls, Romans, Barbarians, Franks, Moors and
Huguenots over the centuries.
But to all these warring parties, Lourdes was just a quiet little backwater
in the lea of the snow-capped mountains, en route to somewhere else.
Not until February 11, 1858 — exactly 150 years ago — did
Lourdes emerged from obscurity, becoming Europe’s most extraordinary
travel phenomenon.
On that day, Bernadette Soubirous, a near-illiterate peasant girl, along
with her sister Toinette and a friend Jean Abadie, witnessed the first
apparition of Our Lady in the remote Grotto of Massabielle on the River
Gave.
Seventeen further apparitions appeared, during which the lady identified
herself as the Immaculate Conception.
The girls’ account was eventually investigated by the Vatican who
confirmed the apparitions as bona fide.
Bernadette lived out the rest of her life as a nun and was canonised as
Saint Bernadette in 1933.
Since these events, Lourdes has become one of the world’s leading
Catholic Marian shrines: Pope John Paul II visited twice and in 2007 Pope
Benedict XVI authorised special indulgences to mark the 150th anniversary
of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Aside from papal visits, some 5million pilgrims — the faithful and
curious of all continents — annually make their way to the French
town.
Amongst these, 65,000 sick people come on pilgrimage and lodge, for the
most part, in specialist accommodation such as Notre Dame (904 beds) and
Marie Saint Frai (400 beds) Hostels for the Sick.
They are looked after largely by volunteers — Lourdes is a terrific
place to witness the better side of human nature.
There have been 67 miracles officially validated by the Church —
all medicinal —despite the fact that during the 18 apparitions which
Bernadette witnessed, the Virgin Mary never once spoke of Lourdes as a
place of physical healing.
But it’s understandable that the town acquired its reputation for
cures and recuperation.
It's in a part of Europe which has been criss-crossed by medieval pilgrimage
routes and in an area where Christianity and folklore were long enmeshed.
The lie of the land round Lourdes
Lourdes sits at the foot of some of the most dramatic mountain scenery
in France.
The Pie du Midi cable car and Cirque de Gavamie are to hand.
Rentacar (Avenue Alexandre Marqui) 00 33 5 59 40 16 77, www.rentacar.fr
is probably your best bet if you fancy a spin out of town.
The town itself is not very large — considering it has the highest
number of hotels anywhere in the country bar Paris.
Crossed by the River Gave de Pau, Lourdes was once home to many working
mills — Bernadette’s family lived in one until they fell on
hard times.
The town boasts a fortress (naturally) and nearby the Pyrenean Museum
contains some of the most important collections of the French and Spanish
Pyrenees.
Nightly at 9pm, thousands process through Lourdes by candlelight —
an awesome, uplifting and sobering sight.
Commercialism is largely confined to the town itself.
The plastic statuettes of the Virgin, crucifixes of every variety, Virgin
Mary pendulum clocks, Immaculate Conception shake ’n’ snow
scenes and devotional cigarette lighters are mostly absent from the main
religious sites.
The Sanctuaires Notre Dame is the main focus of Mass pilgrimages.
Flanking the Grotto, its 125 acres of parkland and esplanades are commerce
free and open 24/7.
Access is free and unrestricted.
The most revered sites in the complex are the Grotte de Massabielle, the
Grotte Miraculeuse and the Grotte des Apparitions.
Nearby are the 17 healing pools in which the afflicted immerse themselves.
The last medically certifiable cure was back in 1987.
After exhaustive investigation, the case was recognised by the Church
as a miracle in 1999.
 But despite
the miracles and the presence of the healing pools, the overwhelming number
of pilgrims from around the world are not looking for miracles, or at
least not physical ones.
A small statue, halfway up a path behind the main grotto, bears eloquent
witness to this.
The statue is of a blind man kneeling with a cross.
An Italian woman had it erected to commemorate her conversion.
The words at the base, in Latin, French and Italian, say: “Regaining
your faith is more important than regaining your sight.”
Locations open all year round (free entrance):
- The Saint Bernadette Museum: Retraces the Saint’s life, the
Message of Lourdes and the building of the Sanctuaries.
- Bernadette’s birthplace (Boly Mill): Bernadette lived here from
her birth until June of 1854.
- Le Cachot (the dungeon): The dungeon of the former prison, which served
as a refuge for the Soubirous family. This is where Bernadette lived at
the time of the apparitions — it tells you everything you need to
know about the abject poverty of the family.
- Former presbytery: Where Bernadette met Father Peyramale to transmit
the Blessed Virgin’s requests to the Church representative.
- Saint Bernadette Hospice: In the little chapel (restored in 2005),
Bernadette took her first Communion.
- Sacred Heart Parish Church: Site of the baptismal fonts used to baptise
Bernadette on January 9, 1844.
- Bartres: A little village a few kilometres from Lourdes played an important
role in Bernadette’s life. You can see the sheepfold where Bernadette
tended to her flock, the house of her nurse Marie Lagues and the parish
church. The Bartres path, a footpath which was used by Bernadette to travel
from Lourdes to Bartres, has been restored and reopened to pilgrims and
visitors. Masses are held at the parish church.
2008 programme to mark the 150th Anniversary of the Apparitions:
- Every day at noon: Angelus at the Grotto.
- Each evening: Torchlight Marian Procession at 9pm.
- Each day: Eucharistic Procession and blessing of the sick.
- Each day: Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
- On Wednesdays and Sundays: International Mass.
- On Wednesdays: Special Festive Mass.
For further information: www.lourdes2008.com
or www.sainte-bernadette-nevers.com
Where to stay:
The four-star Grand Hotel Moderne (21 Avenue Bernadette Soubirous; 00
33 5 62 94 12 32, www.grandhotelmoderne.com)
has doubles from £90 and re-opens at the end on March 20 after refurbishment.
The four-star Grand Hotel de la Grotte (66 rue de la Grotte; 00 33 5
62 94 58 87, www.hotel-grotte.com)
has doubles from £60.
Among the three-stars, the Hotel Saint-Sauveur (9 rue Sainte-Marie 00
335 62 94 25 03, www.hotelsaintsauveur.com)
with doubles from £50 is one of the best.
Getting there:
Tangney Tours 0800 917 3572, www.tangney-tours.com
runs regular Lourdes tours.
A three-night trip costs from £385pp, including charter flights
from Stansted to Tarbes (seven miles from Lourdes), transfers and full-board
in a three-star hotel.
Leisure Times Travel (0151 287 8000, www.lourdes-
pilgrim.com) and Mancunia Travel (0161 790 6838, www.mancunia.com)
also organise tours.
Ryanair 0871 246 0000 www.ryanair.com
flies from Stansted and Bristol to Pau (38 miles away).
www.joewalshtours.ie
www.orderofmalta.ie and Pilgrimages
Abroad Ltd tel 00 353 1 8731444 operate from Ireland. |
