Lourdes Hotels

Lourdes: There are few people of any religious persuasion who have not heard of the town of Lourdes. It has a permanent population of but 15,000 people, but approximately 5,000,000 people a year visit this town in the southwestern corner of France, primarily for religious purposes. Legend has it that a vision of the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl in the winter of 1858 and the Catholic Church has recognized Lourdes as the site of legitimate miracles. Most devout Catholics, in fact, consider a trip to Lourdes almost as a necessity of being Catholic. The city is filled with holy places, museums and shrines to St. Mary and St. Bernadette, the young girl. The most famous of these are the Grotto of Massabielle, where the original vision appeared, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is more commonly known simply as the Domain. Approximately 200,000,000 people have visited the town of Lourdes in the last one hundred and fifty years, some as a religious pilgrimage, some to visit the “healing waters” of Lourdes, which are supposed to cure ailments and heal the sick. In addition to the Grotto and the Domain, there are the Basilica of the Rosary, which is filled with beautiful mosaics, the Lourdes museum, the Castle and Pyrenean Museum, the Nativity Museum, and many others, nearly all with a religious theme. Outside of the town proper, there is the Pic du Jer, a tram style chair lift that takes you up through the woods that surround the town to a viewing station from which all of Lourdes can be seen, along with lovely vistas of the Pyrenees. There is also a train, which wends its way through the town, taking you to all of the major destinations in Lourdes. If you wish to take a more active approach to Lourdes, there is a lovely lake and forest on the outskirts of town, suitable for walking, fishing, or swimming.