Lourdes, France

1) In grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes, France in 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14 year old school girl that lives close by. She introduced herself as The Immaculate Conception to Bernadette then gave her a message to spread. ‘’Pray and do Penance for the conversion of the world.’’ Then she took Bernadette to a spring with healing water. Bernadette did what she was told and told them about the spring of healing water. The church investigated Bernadette’s statement for four years before approving the love to Our Lady of Lourdes.

 Ever since then Lourdes has become one of the most important shrines, attracting more pilgrims each year due to the miraculous cures at this shrine. In 1882 a medical apartment visited the shrine with doctors who are believers and non-believers trying to find out how the shrine can heal people. Finally after years of research they still have nothing but they came to a final answer that this is no science but instead God’s work.

 Lourdes is an important site for pilgrims is because of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the magical spring that has healing water. These are the main contraction of Pilgrims from all over the world, more and more pilgrims visit Lourdes each year.

2) Marian apparition can be split into two words, Marian is the meaning of Virgin Mary and apparition means a ghost or ghost-like appearance of a person. When these two words are combined it is an event when someone believes that the Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared in front of more than 2 people also known as a crowd. Most of the time they are named after the town they were seen.

People from around the world would travel to this particular site due to what has happened in the past. For example: if the Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared in a specific site a few years ago, people from around the world would visit the site taking down notes, they would try to figure out why Mary would appear here in this particular atmosphere and what was the cause. Another example would be, If a miracle was performed in a certain area, believers would come from around the world to see it with their own eyes because these opportunities doesn’t always happen.

3)I have been studying Lourdes, France it is about a 14 year old girl name Bernadette Soubirous who saw the apparition of the Blessed Virgin of Mary. Bernadette was then told to spread the word and build a grotto. Years passed they have discovered that Lourdes is a place that can heal people.

If I had a chance to visit Lourdes, France I would try to learn more about the place and why the Blessed Virgin Mary would appear in that particular area, I want to find out more of Bernadette Soubirous, I want to know what happened in her child hood and in what reason was she picked to see Mary. I also want to witness the spring with healing water, touching it with my own hands and also learning the importance of it like what it symbolised. I also want to learn more of the historical timeline and also miracles that had occurred. That is what I would want to learn about Lourdes, France.