Plan
of Lourdes Shrine
Southern France
one
St. Michael's Gate
The
Bridge of St. Michael offers a full view of the esplanade leading up to
the magnificant Basilica of Lourdes; its tower (standing 70 meters high)
seemingly extends higher than the Pyrenees Mountains seen here in the
background.
"Come here in procession and build a Church", Our Lady said
to Bernadette. The church is not the group or club of those who believe
in Jesus. It is the poor and weak who are never chosen by the world but
whom God mysteriously calls. We become the messengers of mercy.
Stay
awake! We are already on the road to Lourdes, to take part in the processions.
Let our whole life be a pilgrimage, a confident journey to the chapel,
or church, the holy city God prepares for us and in which he waits for
us. Our churches on this earth are only for us the sign and memory of
this meeting of love.
Next
 St.
Pius X Basilica
This
underground church is a contrast in style to all the other churches in
the Shrine. St. Pius X Basilica is one of the largest buildings in
the world (12,000M2). It has a capacity of about 20,000 people. The
arrangement of 58 pillars joining together in 29 porticoes allows the
greatest visibility. This work by the architect, Pierre Vago, was
 consecrated
on the 25th of March, 1958 for the centenaryof the apparitions by Cardinal
Roncali, future Pope John XXIII. A relicof St. Pius X is kept under
the altar of the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament also called, The Chapel
"Pax Christi". In the Basilica are a number of works of art
by Gemmail. The Fifteen Stations of the Cross by Denys de Solere are on
the ramps on the east side, and on the western side are the 15 mysteries
of the Rosary by Robert Falcucci. At the bottom are the apparitions
of Our Lady to Bernadette.
Next
three
 Statue
of the Crowned Virgin
This
statue cast in bronze, stands 2,50 meters high, and is located at the
center of the esplanade, facing the great Basilica. Each afternoon, Eucharistic
Adoration is held in the Grotto. From there the Blessed Sacrament is processed
to the esplanade, where the sick are prayed over and receive a blessing
of the Eucharist. And in the evenings, a candle-lit Rosary procession
takes place on the esplanade. The Rosary
prayers, little by little, seem to make a crown of roses offered to Mary
who brings us progressively to the heart of God. God the most high has
looked upon His little handmaid and loved her. "Hail Mary full of
grace, the Lord is with you." We recognize her as blessed, "blessed
are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus."
With her, the holy one, our prayer reaches God. "Holy Mary, mother
of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen."
As a virtual pilgrim...Stop. Become quiet. Let God in, through love. Sometimes
we feel good, other times we remain dry: the essential thing is to remain
faithful and open our heart.
One day
the disciples said to Jesus, "Teach us to pray". Jesus opened
to them the secret of his heart: Eternally He is the Son of God, the little
child whose life is turned towards His father. When you pray say:
"Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom
come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those
who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us
from evil."
Next
four
 Rosary
Basilica
The
Rosary Basilica was built under the following two places of worship, at
the beginning of this century. On the facade are medallions of Leo XIII,
the Pope of the Rosary and Pius XII, who proclaimed the Marian Year in
1954. Above the entrance Our Lady is seen offering a Rosary to St. Dominic,
who started the Rosary. Right from the moment we enter the Basilica, a
mosaic of Our Lady in the upper wall of the Sanctuary welcomes us as she
stretches out her hands to us. There are 15 small chapels from left
to right decorated with mosaics that help us to follow the journey and
story of the Rosary.
five
The Crypt
The Crypt
is under the Upper Basilica. It was blessed on the day of Pentecost,
1866. It was on that day that the pilgrimage was started. Bernadette could
leave Lourdes and go to Nevers, she had finished her task and passed it
on to others to continue. At the entrance of the corridor we find
a statue of St. Peter and another of Pius X, who favoured frequent communion.
In the
chapel one is invited to recollect oneself and adore the Blessed Sacrament,
the real presence of Jesus in the Host: God gives us his life as food.
Next
six
The Upper Basilica
Mary
said to Bernadette, "Tell the priests to come here in procession
and build a chapel."
The Upper Basilica was opened in 1871. It is built on the rock of Massabielle.
The Sanctuary is directly over the place of the apparitions. The tower
is 70 meters high. The bells ring out, "Ave Maria". Above
the entrance is a medallion of Pius IX, who was the Pope at the time of
Bernadette. It was Pius IX who proclaimed in 1854 that Our Lady was
"conceived without original sin" that is to say, immaculate,
entirely filled with the love of God.
In Ineffabilis
Deus, 8 December, 1854, he wrote, she was "replendent with such
an abundance of heavenly gifts...that she is an  unspeakable
miracle of God - indeed the crown of all miracles and truly the worthy
Mother of God; that she approaches as near to God Himself as is possible
for a created being."
The
church walls are hung with banners which witness to pilgrimages that came
from all over the world. The history of Our Lady of Lourdes is retold
in the stained glass windows in the side chapels, and in those above the
nave--the biblical history of Eve and Mary.
Next
seven
The
Grotto |
&
Miraculous Spring |
The Rock of Massabielle acts as the foundation for the
Basilica of Lourdes. The Grotto is located directly below the Sanctuary
of the Upper Basilica. The Grotto was a simple hole in the rock,
where pigs used to come to find shelter. On the 11th of February,
1858 there was a sound of wind and a light: Mary appeared... in
an alcove in the rock, Bernadette saw a young and small girl dressed
in white, with a blue cincture, a yellow rose on each foot, and
carrying a Rosary on her arm. The statue you see today, which marks
the place where Our Lady stood during the Apparitions, was made
from white marble in 1864 by the Sculptor Fabisch. "It is like
that and yet it is not like that", Bernadette said when shown
the statue. Although it is considered a poor representation of the
beautiful lady who appeared to Bernadette, the statue invites us
to pray...
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"Would
you do me the favour of coming here for two weeks?" Bernadette
said, "yes."
Later
she said, "The Grotto was my heaven."
..."Mary
the purest of all women, mother of Christ and mother of all people,
we come before you as Bernadette did and we pray to you full of
confidence. Help us to have hearts free and open to the poor, to
experience in prayer the tenderness of God and be able to undertake
our part in the building of the Church. Through you we pray to Jesus
your Son that by his grace He may free us from sin and strengthen
us in Faith, Hope, and Love, making us joyful witnesses of His Gospel.
He who lives for ever. Amen".
|
| "Go
and drink at the spring and wash yourself there...Eat some grass
which grows there."
The Spring at the back of the Grotto on the left side of the altar
was discovered by Bernadette on the 25th of February, 1858. The
spring water of Massabielle is not magic water: analysis of the
water shows it to be ordinary drinkable water without any special
properties. The flow varies like any mountain spring, according
to the changing seasons. To the right of the Grotto are bath houses
for the sick and anyone else who wishes to bathe - to do so is only
an exterior sign of what God asks of us, which is that we bathe
our hearts in the spring of His Love. |
 |
|
Over 70,000 sick and handicapped come to Lourdes each year.
To the left of the Grotto, are taps where pilgrims drink, wash and
fill their bottles with this spring water. To drink or take water
home are signs of our trust in God. If we trust Him, He may give
us a bodily healing or some particular grace we have been
asking for. God however, wishes to give us much more than this;
the purification and healing of our souls, sick with sin.
"If anyone thirts, let him come to me. Let the one come and
drink who believes in me." (John 7:37)
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Next
eight
The
Church of St. Bernadette
 - |
Located
on the opposite side of the River Gave, the Church of St. Bernadette
was built on the spot where Bernadette stood for the last apparition,
facing the Grotto. Despite the distance Bernadette said,
"I saw her just as if I was in the Grotto."
This
church was blessed on the 25th of March, 1988. There are a
number of small meeting rooms within this church. On the right is
the "Hemicycle". It is here that the Conference of Bishops
of France meets each autumn. Across from St. Bernadette's Church
used to be the rivulet which Bernadette crossed on the day of the
first apparition. A bridge has since replaced the rivulet which
was simply a tail-race that joined the River Gave at this spot. |
|
Next
nine
 The
Chapel of Reconciliation
Our Lady asks, "Penance, Penance,
Penance. Pray for the conversion of Sinners."
Reconciliation is an important part of the message of Lourdes. To do penance
is to let oneself be drawn along the way of solidarity. We let Jesus
change our hearts of stone to let Him graft on a heart of flesh, that
could suffer from the poverty of the world, and so enter into the dynamic
of love. The statue of the Cure d'Ars welcomes pilgirms coming to
this chapel. The Cure d'Ars spent 15 hours a day confessing the crowds
of people that came to his little village from all over the world. Today,
our examination of conscience helps us to recognize the Love of God in
our lives and the sins which are obstacles to this love. The priest
who welcomes us is the sign of mercy of our Heavenly Father. Let
us rediscover the grace of the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation. It
is like a new birth for us.
Next
ten
 Way
of the Cross
"I do not promise to make you happy
in this world but the other."
We are not asked to suffer on the earth with resignation to finally get
happiness beyond death. The other world begins here and now: It is already
hell for those who sink into egoism. For those who open their hearts to
love, paradise has already begun. In the extreme poverty of the Cachot
where she lived in 1958, Bernadette knew the true joy of family love.
Later on she said:
"I am happy on my bed of pain with my cruxifix
more than a queen on her throne."
The secret of happiness is to welcome little by
little, even through disappointments, failures and suffering, the look
and call of the one who loved us until the end.
The Way of the Cross in Lourdes consists of 15 large stations depicted
in life size bronze statues, and winds approximately 1600 meters up the
Mount of Espelugues, called Mount Calvary. One cannot make the stations
without beging struck by the natural beauty of the site and reliving the
journey Christ made up to Calvary, 2,000 years ago. You can make the Way
of the Cross at Lourdes by taking our 'Virtual'
Calvary Tour Now.
.
Take a Side Trip to Nevers, France
(the resting place of Saint Bernadette)
Return to 'Virtual' Lourdes Home
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