On 24th June, the Church solemnly celebrates the birth of Saint John the Baptist, one of the few figures whose birth is commemorated liturgically, in testimony to his unique role in the history of salvation. He is the herald of the Lord, the one who, while living in the desert in silence, prayer and penance, prepared the way for the Messiah.
In Bartrès, the Gospel becomes manifest in the life of Bernadette
A few kilometres from Lourdes lies the small village of Bartrès, a place linked to the life of Saint Bernadette Soubirous. Before the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1858, the young Bernadette went to live with her wet nurse, Marie Laguës, where she became a farm servant.
It was in this simple, rural setting of silence, work and solitude that Bernadette came to know God in her daily life.
In Bartrès, the Gospel became manifest in Bernadette’s life, paving the way for what was to happen in Lourdes, at the Grotto of Massabielle, in her encounter with the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Hope.
The village is also under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist. There is a church dedicated to him, where Bernadette loved to come and pray.
Built in the 14th century in Romanesque style, the church was originally a fortification and served as a refuge for the inhabitants of the region in times of trouble.
In Bernadette’s time, the choir was similar to the one we see today, with the same late 17th-century triptych depicting the moments in the life of Saint John the Baptist: the Visitation, the Baptism of Jesus and his death.
Bernadette, who couldn’t read, probably let herself be taught by these sacred images, meditating on them at length during her prayers.
Come and discover the rich heritage of Lourdes and Bartrès
Proposed programme
9.30am: Film about the Sanctuary (Information Centre)
11.00am: Mass in the Saint Cosmas and Damian Chapel
2.00 pm: Self-guided Way of Bernadette (see map below)
9.00 pm: Marian torchlight procession
Bartrès: a place that touches the heart.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, a visit to Bartrès offers the opportunity to be inspired by two exemplars of evangelical hope: Saint John the Baptist and Saint Bernadette. They demonstrate the path to true holiness through total trust in God, humility, patience, faithfulness, and the ability to remain silent and detached.
They both invite us to return to God by converting our hearts. John cries out, “Repent!”, and the Virgin tells Bernadette, “Penance, penance, penance.”
They both embody a radiant humility, teaching us not to prioritise ourselves but to bring all our focus back to God.
“I am not the Christ” (Jn. 1:20); Bernadette said, “It is not my job to make you believe, only to tell you.”
Both testify that strength comes from interior silence, prayer and fidelity. They remained faithful in times of trial: John died for telling the truth, Bernadette suffered in body and soul but never complained. The cross did not frighten them, for it was there that their mission was accomplished.
The similarities between John and Bernadette are profound: both poor, shunning the light, both preparing, both witnesses to a presence that transcends words.
Like John’s desert, Bartrès is a place that touches the heart. It is an invitation to pray, reflect, and rediscover what is truly important.
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In her book of personal notes written during the years of her religious life in Nevers, Bernadette shares with us her meditation on John the Baptist in the Jordan:
“How austere and stern he is!… How he announces Jesus… How he leads to Jesus… How he steps aside before Jesus… He gives way only out of humility, only out of obedience… He will grow and I will decrease. And so must I, for there is still too much of the old man in me… like John the Baptist I am not docile enough… I have to… if I don’t give in, I’m preventing him from growing… so may I therefore become humble, may I humiliate myself so that Jesus may grow.”
