What does Easter mean for Christians?
Easter is the most important festival in the Christian faith. It commemorates Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, which celebrates the triumph of life over death and the fulfilment of the promise of salvation. It is a season of joy and hope at the heart of Christianity. Every year, faithful from all over the world gather in their parishes or pilgrimage sites to commemorate this event. Lourdes provides a setting in which to observe this solemnity in prayer and togetherness.
Experience the joy of Easter in Lourdes
In Lourdes, Holy Week is marked by a series of major celebrations.
It begins with Palm Sunday. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Lk. 19:28), and continues with the Easter Triduum, three days that remind us of God’s mercy and lead us into the great mystery of Christ’s Resurrection.
The Stations of the Cross are particularly striking in Lourdes, inviting pilgrims to relive the stages of Christ’s Passion. There are two main Stations of the Cross: the Espélugues, which winds its way up the hill, and the Stations of the Cross for the Sick, which is more accessible and more conducive to meditation. Each station is an opportunity to meditate on the suffering, compassion and hope that culminate in the joy of the Resurrection.
In the Sanctuary, the Stations of the Cross represent hope. The fifteenth Station of the Cross at The Espélugues in Lourdes commemorates the Resurrection, which is represented by Christ’s tomb being discovered empty.
Follow the celebrations live on Lourdes+
You can take part in the major celebrations in Lourdes wherever you are, through our live stream.
Follow the Easter liturgy in real time using the player below.
Holy Week 2025 in pictures
Pray the Stations of the Cross at Les Espélugues with a ‘chapelain’
Walk up the Espélugues hill and follow a spiritual trail, guided by a Sanctuary chaplain, to relive the Passion of Christ and enter into the mystery of Easter.
Let the light of Easter shine by having a candle lit here in Lourdes. Your prayer will join those of pilgrims from all over the world who, on this feast day, have come to entrust their intentions to Our Lady of Lourdes.
