Lourdes

There is another Lourdes with a different pronunciation, see Lourdes, Brazil.

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Lourdes (Lorda in Occitan) is a town in the Hautes-Pyr?n?es d?partement in France. It is the largest Catholic religion pilgrimage location in France. It is situated in the south of the country in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, and has about 17,000 inhabitants.

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It is said that in February 1858 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a 14-year-old girl called Bernadette Soubirous (now St. Bernadette) in the remote Grotto of Massabielle. A statue of the Madonna of Lourdes was erected at the site in 1864. Soon the previous chapel structure was replaced with a pilgrimage basilica. Bernadette Soubirous entered the Monastery of Nevers in 1866 and was canonised in 1933.

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Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is the place of mass pilgrimages from Europe and other parts of the world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess healing properties, and the Roman Catholic Church has officially recognized 66 miraculous healings. Especially impressive are candlelight and sacrament processions.

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Occitan: REDIRECT Occitan_language...

France: The French Republic or France (: R?publique fran?aise or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents....

Catholic: Catholic (literally meaning: according to (kata-) the whole (holos) or more generally "universal" in Greek) is a religious term with a number of meanings:...

Lourdes related Images and Photos (experimental)

Pilgrims Drinking the Miraculous Water Admire the Miraculous Statue at Lourdes