Lourdes, a global center of healing and prayer for all
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, in the Pyrenees mountains in Southern France, is a unique place of peace, prayer, hope, and the healing of mind, body and spirit.
Since the 18 Apparitions of the Virgin Mary over 22 weeks in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous, an impoverished, illiterate, and sick local girl, millions of people from all faiths and from all over the world travel to the Grotto in Lourdes seeking consolation and fraternity in the universal Message of Our Lady.
To date 72 healings have been declared miraculous, with over 7,000 cases of healing studied by the Lourdes Medical Bureau, and thousands more undocumented.
The words of Mary
During the Apparitions, Our Lady said to Bernadette “Go tell the priests to build a chapel here and come in procession”, “Go drink at the spring and wash” and “Penance”.
The Message has a universal appeal for everyone in its simplicity, and especially for those who do not have the words to express themselves. They come to Lourdes and find answers, often through prayer and the sacraments, including the Eucharist and Reconciliation.
Like Bernadette, they touch the rock of the Grotto, drink the water from the spring and wash, and light a candle – they experience the grace of Lourdes.
In an increasingly frenetic world, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a beautiful place to pause and focus on personal spiritual growth. Priorities in Lourdes seem ‘right side up’: the most vulnerable come first and each serves the other.
The foundation of the Sanctuary
Just 4 years after the Apparitions the then Bishop of Tarbes, Mgr Bertrand-Sévère Laurence, declared “To comply with the will of the Blessed Virgin expressed several times during the Apparitions, we propose to build a sanctuary on the ground of the Grotto which has become the property of the bishops of Tarbes” (pastoral letter of 18 January 1862).
Subsequent Bishops (“the guardians of the Grotto”) and Rectors have undertaken extensive, ambitious, and bold programs of work, to cater for the pilgrims and their constantly evolving numbers and needs.
The Sanctuary in numbers
• Each year over 3 million visitor and pilgrims (3.5 million in 2019, 800,000 in 2020, 1.5 million in 2021, 3.2 million in 2024, and almost 4 million in 2025).
• Each day millions of people worldwide connect with the Grotto via television, internet, and social media to follow Mass and pray the Rosary in different languages.
• 55 hectares (136 acres) of land of which 17 hectares (42 acres) of forest and grassland, 100,000 m² (1,076,000 ft²) of buildings including 3 Basilicas, 25 Churches and Chapels.
• Accommodation for priests, seminarians, volunteers, and special facilities for people who are sick or who have a disability.
• 35 permanent chaplains (16 nationalities), 34 religious sisters from 10 congregations, 320 employees, thousands of volunteers.
• Each year over 10,000 masses celebrated in many different languages, and over a million prayer petitions received.
• More than 500,000 pilgrims go the baths each year.
• Every day from April to October, pilgrims join the two processions in the Sanctuary – the Eucharistic procession at 5pm and the Marian Torchlight procession at 9pm.
Funding
The 1905 law led to the separation of the State and Church in France – the French State does not subsidize any religion or religious activity.
The Sanctuary is an entirely private property. It receives no funds from the French State, the Catholic Church in France, the Vatican.
The Sanctuary relies solely on donations, offerings, and bequests, and to a lesser extent the contribution from pilgrimages and the accommodation of sick pilgrims, hospitaliers and volunteers, which cover the annual operating budget. Each year funds are allocated to essential investments.
Donations to the Sanctuary are tax deductible for donors who pay taxes in the US or in France.
Entrance to the Sanctuary is free of charge.
Historical links between Lourdes and the United States
1858
Apparitions at Lourdes; news soon reaches American Catholic publications via European correspondents.
1860s–1870s
First individual U.S. pilgrims travel to Lourdes.
American dioceses begin reporting cures and spiritual experiences connected to Lourdes.
Late 19th Century
Lourdes devotion spreads widely in the U.S.; construction of small grotto replicas begins in Catholic parishes and schools.
World War I (1914–1918)
U.S. medical volunteers operate a hospital in Lourdes for wounded soldiers (after the U.S. joins the war in 1917).
1930s–1940s
Large American tour groups begin organized pilgrimages to Lourdes.
Post–World War II increase in Marian devotion helps fuel U.S. pilgrimages.
1948
First U.S. diocesan groups officially participate in international pilgrimages.
1958
Centenary of the apparitions draws one of the largest American pilgrim contingents to date.
1958–Present
Growth of organizations such as the U.S. Order of Malta, the Hospitalité of Miami and North American Lourdes Volunteers.
Lourdes becomes one of the top international pilgrimage destinations among American Catholics.
Every year thousands of pilgrims from the United States visit the Grotto of Lourdes in France.
Churches and grottos in the US
Across the United States, there are well over 100 Catholic parishes dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Bernadette, or the Immaculate Conception, reflecting the enduring devotion to these Marian figures and their connection to the Lourdes apparitions.
Many Catholic parishes, schools, shrines, religious communities, and cemeteries built Lourdes Grotto replicas over the past century—especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today there are over 1,000 Lourdes Grotto replicas throughout the country, possibly as many as 1,500.
St. Bernadette’s Relics Tour the U.S. — 2022
In 2022, for the first time, relics of Saint Bernadette Soubirous toured the United States. The reliquary, containing part of her rib, travelled from April to August, visiting over 30 churches and cathedrals across 32 dioceses, from Miami to Los Angeles.
The pilgrimage allowed the faithful to venerate the relic, pray, and participate in Masses and devotional activities, bringing the spiritual experience of Lourdes to those unable to travel to France. The tour highlighted the enduring devotion to Saint Bernadette and the Lourdes apparitions in American Catholic life.
Bernadette of Lourdes — The Musical
Bernadette of Lourdes is a stage musical based on the life of Saint Bernadette Soubirous. After its success in Europe, the show was staged for the first time in the United States at the Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture in Chicago from February 19 through March 15, 2026.
In addition, a filmed version premiered in U.S. theaters in 2025, bringing the inspiring story to American audiences ahead of the stage production.
More events will be held in Fall 2026.
Friends of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Inc.
The 501(c)(3) Friends of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Inc. (EIN: 33-4976185) was constituted in 2025 to support the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and its mission, projects, and initiatives.
Donors can deduct contributions under IRC Section 170. Tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts may also be made under IRC Section 2055, 2016, or 2522.
For more information, or if you wish to make a donation by bank transfer or check, please contact: friendsofsanctuarylourdes@lourdes-france.com
Letter for the American Friends of Lourdes
Sign up to the Letter for the American Friends of Lourdes and receive regular updates on news about the Sanctuary’s events and activities in the US.
