Lourdes is a pilgrimage city in southern France, on the cusp of the Pyrenees. There are numerous grottos, wells and pools that are said to contain healing waters and as a result thousands of people visit the city each year.
According to legend, in 1858, Bernadette Soubirons, a 14 year old girl, saw the Virgin Mary some 18 times in a grotto, not far from Lourdes. The Vatican investigated and confirmed the visions. Ever since, Lourdes has become sacred to Catholics.
The Grotte de Massabielle, or Miraculous Cave is the most revered site in Lourdes. It includes 17 pools with 'healing' water. As 'proof', discarded crutches and other abandoned walking gear litter the place.
Between Palm Sunday, the last Sunday before Easter and October nightly torch processions are held from the Massabielle Grotto, as well as the Procession Eucharistique (Blessed Sacrament Procession).
There are numerous hotels, pensions and restaurants to cater for all the pilgrims in Lourdes. The city is 725 km southwest of Paris.
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