Marian Shrine Dantolingi

SPIRITUAL LOURDES

HISTORY OF LOURDES AND OF THE APPARITIONS

SOME HISTORY

Lourdes is located in the South-West of the “Hautes-Pyrénées département”. It is a significant place, where landscape and history mix together. The silhouette of the Pyrenean chain is visible to the South with the Béout and Grand Jer summits close by. The “Gave de Pau“ river which originates from Gavarnie, crosses the urban area of Lourdes and passes next to the Grotto of Massabielle before heading towards the Béarn region. The Espélugues hollow provides evidence of the first inhabitants of the Bigorre region, as shown by the little ivory “horse” and the other tools and bones that were found there. The Gauls, the Romans, the Barbarians and the Moors successively fortified the rock on which the fortified castle and its keep are erected. In the 17th century, the incorporation of the Bigorre region into France (1607) reduced the importance of the citadel. It became a state prison and was kept by a small garrison. At the dawn of the Apparitions, Lourdes was a humble country town with a population of 4,035 people. This small but pleasant town was a stoppingoff point for people taking the waters at a spa, such as Barèges, Cautere

Before 1858 people passed through the town of Lourdes which was not of particular interest for travellers. After that date, it became a local pilgrimage centre, then a national and an international one.

WHAT HAPPENED IN LOURDES IN 1858

In the 19th century, Lourdes was one of the main places in the district with 4,035 inhabitants and situated on the banks of the “Gave de Pau“ river. Mills were plentiful; in one of those, the Boly Mill, François and Louise Soubirous lived happily for 10 years together with their 4 children. The eldest was christened Marie-Bernarde but called Bernadette (born on January 7th 1844). In 1854, the Soubirous family was reduced to extreme poverty: as a result of an accident at work, François lost an eye, he was falsely accused of having stolen two sacks of flour and he was sent to prison. The mill went bankrupt. Bernadette had cholera and tuberculosis. She suffered the consequences throughout her life. The family had to leave the mill and in 1856 had taken refuge in a disused prison cell of 16m² called the “Cachot”. At 14, unable to read or write, not having made her First Communion, Bernadette was to have an extraordinary experience. On February 11th 1858, Bernadette, her sister Toinette and a friend, Jeanne Abadie, went looking for firewood in the grotto called Massabielle, beside the “Gave de Pau“ river. While Toinette and Jeanne gathered wood, Bernadette heard a sound like a gust of wind. That was the first apparition, 17 others were to follow. On July 4th 1866, Bernadette left Lourdes for Nevers where she entered, as a nun, the Convent of Saint Gildard. She died there on April 6th 1879, where her body still lies.

The legend of Lourdes: In 778, Charlemagne came down from the Pyrenees as a victor. In Lourdes for long months, he fought the Saracen Mirat, who was occupying the castle. Just as famine and disease were rife, Mirat saw an eagle coming out of the blue sky which flew over the castle and let the huge trout he held in its beak drop at his feet. The Moorish chief took the fish and threw it over the ramparts. Thinking that the Moors still had food, Charlemagne immediately raised the siege. Converted to Christianity, Mirat took the name of “Lorus”, which gave Lourdes its name.