Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes
The apparitions in Lourdes refer to the 18 visions of the Virgin Mary experienced by Saint Bernadette Soubirous at the Massabielle Grotto in Lourdes, France, between February 11 and July 16, 1858, which led to the site becoming a major Catholic pilgrimage center known for its healing waters and belief in Our Lady of Lourdes. The Lady, described as wearing white with a blue girdle and golden roses, revealed herself as "the Immaculate Conception" and instructed Bernadette to drink and wash in a spring that emerged from the grotto, leading to numerous cures and deep devotion.
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On February 11, 1858, the Mother of God came from Heaven and appeared to a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous in the town of Lourdes in the Pyrenees Mountains in France. Accompanied by her sister and a friend, Bernadette went to the grotto of Massabielle on the banks of the river looking for driftwood to make a fire and sell some firewood to buy bread. Removing her socks to cross the little stream, she heard a great gust of wind in the stillness, she looked up towards the grotto: "I saw a lady dressed in white, she wore a white dress, an equally white veil, a blue belt and a yellow rose on each foot." ​
Bernadette made the Sign of the Cross with the lady and they prayed the Rosary together in silence. When the prayer ended, the most beautiful lady suddenly vanished. On 28th July 1858, the bishop of Lourdes launched a commission of enquiry into the supposed apparitions of the Virgin Mary at the Grotto of Massabielle: the task would last four years, culminating, on 18th January 1862, in a Decree which officially recognised the apparitions. Pope Leo XIII authorized a special office and a Mass, in commemoration of the apparition, and in 1907 Pope Pius X extended the observance of this feast to the entire Church.
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Credit: Mac Diarmada
Plaque near the grotto marking the place where Bernadette prayed on 11th February 1858 when the Virgin Mary first appeared.
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The First Apparition
February 11, 1858, The First Encounter
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​Bernadette felt a gust of wind, although the trees did not move. All of a sudden, there is a light in the grotto and she sees a most beautiful lady, dressed in white, with a blue sash, in the niche above the Grotto. She wants to make the sign of the cross, but is unable to do so. They pray the rosary.
The Second Apparition
February 14, 1858, Holy Water
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Despite her parents resistance, Bernadette returns to the grotto. She takes holy water from the parish. When the lady appears, Bernadette sprinkles her with it. The lady smiles, but she still does not speak.
Credit: Mac Diarmada
Credit: Shutterstock
The Third Apparition
February 18, 1858, The Lady Speaks
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The Lady invites Bernadette to return to the grotto for fifteen consecutive days. Bernadette promises. The lady responds with a pledge: "I promise you happiness, not in this world but in the other."
The Fourth Apparition
February 19, 1858, The First Candle
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Short and Silent Apparition. Bernadette brings a lit blessed candle to the grotto.
The Fifth Apparition
February 20, 1858, In Silence
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The Lady teaches Bernadette a personal prayer. Bernadette is overcome with sadness.
Credit: Mac Diarmada
The Sixth Apparition
February 21, 1858, "Aquéro"
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Bernadette is accused of causing public disorder. The authorities threaten her with prison. When questioned by the police, Bernadette speaks in her dialect only of “Aquéro,” or “that one.”
The Seventh Apparition
February 23, 1858, The Secret
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The face of Bernadette radiates such beauty that the crowd increases daily in order to see her. The Lady reveals to Bernadette a secret “only for her alone,” which Bernadette never reveals.
The Eighth Apparition
February 24, 1858, Penance
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At the Lady's request, Bernadette walks on her knees in the grotto. Bernadette hears and repeats the words of the lady: “Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners. ”
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Credit: Sanctuaire de Lourdes
The Ninth Apparition
February 25, 1858, The Spring
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At the instruction of the Lady, Bernadette goes to a place in the grotto where she discovers a spring: "Go drink from the spring and wash yourself there."
The Tenth Apparition
February 27, 1858, Silence
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The Apparition is silent. Bernadette carries out her usual acts of penance.
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The Eleventh Apparition
February 28, 1858, Penance
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Crowds surround Bernadette as she kisses the ground as a sign of penance.
The Twelfth Apparition
March 1, 1858, The First Miracle
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Over fifteen hundred people assemble, for the first time a priest among them. Catherine Latapie’s arm is healed after plunging it into the spring.
The Thirteenth Apparition
March 2, 1858, Message to the Priests
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The Lady spoke to Bernadette, “Go, tell priests that the people are to come here in procession and to build a chapel.” The Parish Priest, Abbé Peyramale asks for the Lady’s name.
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The Fourteenth Apparition
March 3, 1858, A Smile
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When Bernadette asks the Lady for her name, she receives only a smile in response. The priest tells Bernadette, “If the Lady really wishes that a chapel be built, then she must tell us her name and make the rose bush bloom at the Grotto.”
Credit: Shutterstock
Credit: Shutterstock
The Fifteenth Apparition
March 4, 1858, The Day They They Were All Waiting For
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On the last day of the fifteen days originally requested, around eight thousand people gathered around Bernadette at the Grotto; the Lady still does not reveal her name.
The Sixteenth Apparition
March 25, 1858, The Name They Awaited
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Arising at dawn, Bernadette approaches the Grotto and finds the Lady already there. On this day, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Lady reveals, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
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Credit: Sanctuaire de Lourdes
The Seventeenth Apparition
April 7, 1858, The Miracle of the Candle
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During this apparition, Bernadette protected her candle from blowing out. As she held her hand close, the flame licked her hand without burning it, which was immediately witnessed by Dr. Douzous.
Credit: Mac Diarmada
The Eighteenth Apparition
July 16, 1858, The Final Apparition
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​Bernadette’s way to the Grotto was blocked and closed off by a barrier. She thus came to the Grotto across the Gave. “I felt that I was in front of the Grotto, at the same distance as before, I saw only the Blessed Virgin, and she was more beautiful than ever!”
Credit: Mac Diarmada
[Content: Adapted from Franciscan Media, Lourdes Volunteers]