Today we went to Lourdes. I had visited it 25 years ago but I thought the family might be curious about it. I told the kids the story of St Bernadette in the car as we drove there and they weren’t sure what to make of it. When we arrived, shortly before lunch, I saw that Lourdes has changed beyond recognition. The streets are now dominated by souvenir stores and the vibe is more Phuket than Southern France.
Once we had cleared the bridge over the river however, the scene was completely different. The cathedral that has been built over the grotto is a gorgeous blend of Gothic and Romanesque style and with the beautiful Pyrenees behind it, it looks like something out of a fairy tale.
All around us were people from all over the world – many of them obviously sick or in wheel chairs. The statue of the Virgin Mary was surrounded by fresh flowers left by pilgrims. The show of faith from these people showed me another side of the Catholic religion that I had forgotten to consider. In fact Lourdes welcomes 5 million pilgrims and tourists per year, many of them seeking a miracle, and some of them are lucky enough to walk away with one. While the Cathedral was completely gorgeous, utterly splendid and one of the prettiest churches I have ever seen, I was quite surprised to feel something when we visited the grotto below, where the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared to Bernadette. Before visiting the grotto I must confess that I rather suspected Bernadette of being a religious zealot with a great imagination and with a lot of people (including the church) profiting along the side. As we walked through the grotto however, it really felt like a very special place and I had the feeling that perhaps something wonderful really did happen there 100 years ago. It’s hard to describe the vibe of the place – peaceful, sacred, special.
Who knows? Learning about what had happened to the Cathars in this region 800 years ago really tainted my already negative view of the Catholic Church. But it was great to be reminded that this is a country that is strongly Catholic and that the people here can have great faith and I really respect and even admire that faith.
