The Shrine of Our Lady in Lourdes belongs to the most famous places of worship in the world. About 6 million faithful visit the church and the site of the apparition every year. Lourdes is considered a sanctuary for the sick. The main objects of the sanctuary are the neo-Gothic basilica and the Grotto of Revelation.
Marian apparitions in Lourdes took place in 1858. Our Lady appeared then to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous. Soon they were recognized by the church, and the Marian cult in this place began to flourish. Many cases of miraculous healings have also been documented, thanks to which crowds of patients began to arrive at the sanctuary. They can take a bath in the water taken from the source, which is to have healing power.
The sanctuary's facilities are centered around the Basilica built at the end of the 19th century. It consists of a neo-Gothic upper part with a three-tower facade and a lower Neo-Roman crypt decorated with polychromes. Behind the square is a stone cave, in which Bernadetta was to meet the Virgin Mary. The sanctuary is famous for the evening Light Procession and the celebration of World Illness Day. The sanctuary complex also includes the modern, underground church of Pius XII as well as sick and pilgrim houses.
