A Brief History of Lourdes

Lourdes is a town in the French region of Bigorre, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, where in 1858 the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, appeared eighteen times to a simple village girl, Bernadette Soubirous. Nearly 150 years later, the Lourdes shrine attracts over six million visitors a year, which includes our pilgrimage of approximately a thousand people. We spend a week in Lourdes every August. Whether we are assisted pilgrims or helpers, young or old, clergy or laity, we are all in need of spiritual renewal, and our journey to Lourdes helps our pilgrims to refocus in their life’s journey.

The famous town is situated in the Southwest of the Hautes-Pyrénées department, lying in the first Pyrenean foothills. It is overlooked from the south by the Pyrenean peaks of Aneto, Montaigu, Vignemale (3,298m), while around the town there are three summits reaching up too 1,000m, which are known as the Béout, the Petit Jer with its three crosses and the Grand Jer with its single cross which guard over the town lying below.

Click on the button below to find out more about Lourdes and its rich history!

Travelling to Lourdes

Whilst many of our volunteers and pilgrims will travel to Lourdes with Tangney Tours, our official pilgrimage travel agent, many will make their way to Lourdes independently via plane, train (Eurostar & TGV) or even by car. Returning volunteers and pilgrims not staying in the Accueil will stay at one of Lourdes’ many hotels during the week of the CA’s pilgrimage. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of our team via this website or any of our social media pages for more information on where to stay.