Living it up? in Lourdes?

Ahh... Lourdes. For me this is the perfect place to start. A nice small town, where the things to see are close by. I don't have to stress over maps, or buses. Three days to get used to being on my own, while enjoying a simple yet amazing place.

The only main draw here is the sanctuary. That's most of what is worth seeing all in one place. Arriving there leads into a large open area. It's about 200 meters from the gate to the doors of the church.



On the way, the sides of the esplanade are flanked with smaller buildings. Some are chapels, but there is also a building dedicated entirely for confessions (aptly named building of St. John Vianey) and an entire underground basilica.

The first sight that catches the eye are the two main basilicas of Lourdes, the Basilica of the Rosary and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.



It looks like one big cathedral, but it is actually two basilicas with one of top of the other. The Basilica of the Rosary is the first and lower one. It is named as such because inside, there are 15 chapels decorated with mosaics of each mystery of the rosary. Eventually, they would add mosaics for the Luminous mysteries on the facade of the basilica.

I don't know if you can see it, but those are the Luminous mysteries

The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the larger one of the two. To access it, one must go up the ramp and up some stairs. Though it is not as decorative as the Basilica of the Rosary, this is where the major celebrations take place. The basilica gets its name from a quote that the apparation of Mary said to Bernadette. “Que soy Immaculate Conception” or “I am the Immaculate Conception”. The altar is built directly above the grotto where the Virgin appeared.

The view from the back

Finally, there's the grotto itself called the Grotto of Masabielle. Here is the spot where the Virgin appeared to St. Bernadette a total of 18 times. The grotto is open all the time for anyone to come and pray. There is never a moment when there are no pilgrims either sitting or kneeling by the grotto in prayer and meditation.



These three sites are the focal points of most of the religious services that go on all day. From early at 6am all the way till midnight, there is always something going on for anyone who wants to participate. During my stay, there would be about twenty masses a day. Most of the masses would be in either French, English, Spanish or German. There are also special masses, depending on what specific group of pilgrims are registered. At the time I was there, there were special masses in Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese and even one mass sponsored by a Filipino group! There is never a want for opportunity to reflect in Lourdes.

(The last day had perfect weather)