Virgin Mary appears to St. Bernadette - Feb 11, 1858 - HISTORY.com Virgin Mary appears to St. Bernadette Share this: Virgin Mary appears to St. Bernadette Author Virgin Mary appears to St. Bernadette URL Publisher A+E Networks In southern France, Marie-Bernarde Soubirous, a 14-year-old French peasant girl, first claims to have seen the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ and a central figure in the Roman Catholic religion. The apparitions, which totaled 18 before the end of the year, occurred in a grotto of a rock promontory near Lourdes, France. Marie explained that the Virgin Mary revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, asked that a chapel be built on the site of the vision, and told the girl to drink from a fountain in the grotto, which Marie subsequently discovered by digging into the earth. The concept of the Immaculate Conception, in which the Virgin Mary is regarded free from original sin from the moment of her conception, had been accepted just four years previous by Pope Pius IX.

Marie’s claims garnered widespread attention, but skeptical church authorities subjected her to severe examinations and refused to accept her visions. After years of mistreatment at the hands of the authorities and the curious public, she was finally allowed to enter the convent of Notre-Dame de Nevers, where she spent her remaining years in prayer and seclusion. She died of ill heath at the age of 35. The sight of her manifestations subsequently became the most famous modern shrine of the Virgin Mary, and in 1933 Marie-Bernarde Soubirous was canonized as St. Bernadette by the Roman Catholic Church. Today, millions travel to Lourdes every year to visit St. Bernadette’s grotto, whose waters supposedly have curative powers. Related Videos Saint Bernadette Soubirous Chronology of the Apparitions at Lourdes to Bernadet Soubirous First Apparition - Thursday, February 11, 1858 Bernadette Soubirous (14), her sister Tionette (12) and their little friend Jeanne Abadie (13) had gone out to hunt for wood.

They had walked to Massabielle and saw a grotto in front of which there was a stream. So Bernadette Soubirous started to take off her shoes and socks to walk through the water. She had hardly got them off when she heard a sound much like a gust of wind. Again she heard the same sound and when she looked at the grotto, she saw in the upper most corner a beautiful lady clad in a white dress with a blue belt and a yellow rose on each of her feet. The lady signalled, with her finger that Bernadette should come nearer. Bernadette was almost frozen to the ground. She spontaneously grabs her rosary kneels down and tries to make the sign of the cross. But she cannot do this until The Lady who is carrying a Rosary with a large shining Crucifix has made the sign of the cross. Whilst Bernadet is praying the rosary she sees that The Lady is also letting her beads slide through her fingers, but without moving her lips. This ‘vision’ lasts for about 15 minutes. The other girls saw nothing of this ‘vision’ but Bernadette told them about it and thus the news is told to mother Soubirous.

Second Apparition - Sunday, February 14, 1858 It is Carnival Sunday and Bernadette Soubirous feels forced to go to the grotto although her mother has forbidden her to do so. After a lot of persuasion Bernadette’s mother does agree with her going to the grotto which she does with the other two girls taking a bottle of Holy water with her to throw at the vision in the grotto should she see Her again. Bernadette gets the girls to kneel down and they pray the rosary together. Again Bernadette Soubirous sees The Lady with Her Rosary on Her arm. She sprinkles Holy water towards the lady and says: "if you are from God, stay. If not go away." As Bernadet sprinkles more water the Lady smiles more and more. When the bottle is empty Bernadette carries on with her rosary and the vision/lady disappears. Third Apparitiones - Thursday, February 18, 1858 It is still very early in the morning when Bernadette Soubirous once again kneels down at the grotto.

A few adults from the village have come with her and they give her pen and paper. Bernadette goes into the grotto and asks The Lady: "would you please write down your name". The people of the village have told her to do this. Bernadet Soubirous hears the answer,"That is not necessary". She then hears The Lady ask her: "will you be good enough to come to the grotto for fifteen days?" Bernadet answers: "Yes, I promise". The lady makes the following promise: I promise to make you happy, not in this world but in the next then the Lady says: "I would like to see lots of people here". This is the first time that Bernadette Soubirous hears Her Gentle very clear voice. This apparition lasts less than half an hour. Fourth Apparition - Friday, February 19, 1858 Bernadette Soubirous is no longer afraid and feels a deep inner attraction/pull, to go to the grotto in Massabielle. Six or seven women including Bernadette’s aunt go with her.

After barely three Hail Mary’s the vision reappears and it lasts for about 30 minutes. This day Bernadet takes a blessed candle with her, something that she continues to do every day until the fourteenth vision on 3 March 1858. Fifth Apparition - Saturday, February 20, 1858 On this day the group with Bernadette Soubirous has grown to about 30 people. The same vision appears and when it has ended Bernadet is immediately her normal quiet self. She says very little about the vision, only says, very clearly, that she had once again seen "aquero", "The beautiful Lady", who smiles at her from the grotto. Sixth Apparition - Sunday, February 21, 1858 On this Sunday morning the 100 or so people who go to the grotto with her are aware how deeply Bernadette Soubirous is moved. Our Lady appears to look with Her shining eyes over the whole world and She says: " pray for the sinners". In the afternoon Bernadet has to endure a long interview with the police commissioner Jacomet.

Bernadette remains calm; Father Soubirous makes her promise never to go to the grotto again. Seventh Apparition - Tuesday, February 23, 1858 In the confessional, the chaplain, Father Pomian, tells Bernadette Soubirous that nobody has the right to stop her going to the grotto. Then her father, Soubirous lifts his ban on her visits to the grotto. On this day, once again, there are at least one hundred witnesses. Among whom are doctor Dozous and many other important men from the little town. Our Blessed Lady teaches Bernadette Soubirous word for word a special little prayer. Which Bernadet keeps secret. She prays this prayer every day for the rest of her life. Mary also now gives her instructions. "Go to the Priests and tell them, that I want a Chapel built here". Eighth Apparition - Wednesday, February 24, 1858 Two or three hundred people have come together at the grotto.

They see the face of Bernadette Soubirous looking very sad She crawls on her knees over the ground stopping several times to mutter; penance…. penance.. penance…. She said that The Lady had asked her to do this as penance for the sinners. Hail Mary…pray for us sinners Ninth Apparition - Thursday, February 25, 1858 Once again the grotto is full of people. The outward apparition of Bernadette Soubirous during this apparition is strange, due to what Mary is saying to her. :" My daughter, I want to tell you, just for you and about you one last secret, which you must never tell anyone else. Now go and drink and wash at the spring and eat of the grass growing nearby. Mary points with Her finger to the grotto. Then Bernadet sees dirty muddy water, she cannot drink it. She tries three times to dig deeper and deeper. On the fourth occasion she can drink it and washes herself with it. Then she eats the grass. Some of the people present say: "she is mad". But after Bernadet dug in it the spring became enormous.

It was to become a spring of 100,000 litres a day. Many people call it the ‘miraculous water’. Late on this day Bernadet had to undergo an interrogation from the Procurer Imperial, M.Dutour. But the investigator did not get any were with this interrogation. Tenth Apparition - Saturday, February 27, 1858 The tenth apparition took place in the presents of 800 people. Once again Bernadette Soubirous drank water from the spring which was now bubbling and ate grass from nearby. Eleventh Apparition - Sunday, February 28, 1858 Even more people than the previous day (1150) followed Bernadette Soubirous to the grotto. The chief officer of the Gendarmerie from Tarbe was present with his secretary. He was impressed, and said that the vision lasted fairly long. In the afternoon there was another interrogation by the Procurer Imperial and the Chief of Police. The headmaster of the local senior school came to question her in private.

He thought that she was suffering from catalepsy, prior to this questioning, when he became certain that she really was having these visions. Twelfth Apparition - Monday, March 1, 1858 According to the police count 1.500 people were present . Bernadette Soubirous sees the little girl who tells her that she is not carrying her own Rosary, but the one belonging to her sick girlfriend. Again Bernadette drinks from and washes herself at the spring. This was the first day that a Priest was present. The newly ordained Priest, Abbe Dezirat from Omex a small town close to Massabielle. He watches Bernadet very carefully and closely. Later, he said" What perfect peace! What perfect serenity! What a perfect saintliness! It is impossible for a child to make this up; so pure, so beautifully lovely. I felt as though I was standing on Heavens threshold." Thirteenth Apparition - Tuesday, March 2, 1858 This time there were 1650 spectators. Bernadette Soubirous heard the following request; "go and ask the priests to build a chapel.

I want the people to come here in procession". Father Peyramale is so nasty to her when she sees him, that she only remembers to ask about the procession and forgets all about the church. Very shaken she returns to the priest in the evening and tells him and three chaplains the rest of her message. The Parish priest says that she must first ask the Lady Her name. Fourteenth Apparition - Wednesday, March 3, 1858 Early in the morning 3 or 4,000 people are present at the grotto, but nothing happens. In the afternoon Bernadette Soubirous returns and in the presence of a hundred or so people, she sees the vision. So as the parish priest had requested, she asked The Lady Her name. The Lady just smiles but gives no answer. Bernadet goes back to see the parish priest, who says that she is crazy and is being taken for a ride. He does however repeat his request that Bernadette should ask The Lady for Her name.

Fifteenth Apparition - Thursday, March 4, 1858 It is market day in Lourdes and the last day of the fifteen days mentioned at the third apparition. An awful lot of people, about 20,000 wander down to the grotto. The local police with help from police from other villages have more to do than they can cope with. Bernadette Soubirous remains there for three quarters of an hour entranced at the grotto Once again when she leaves the grotto she goes to see the parish priest and tells him that The Lady only smiled when asked Her name, but she still wants a church built. Peyramale repeats his request that Bernadet must ask The Lady Her name. There follows a pause in the apparitions, which lasts for twenty days. During which time Bernadette does not go to the grotto. Neither does she feel that very strong pull which calls her to the grotto. This is a welcome pause for her in which she regains her peace. She goes to school and prepares for her First Holy Communion.

Sixteenth Apparition - Thursday, March 25, 1858 The feast day of the Annunciation. Bernadette Soubirous has not been to the grotto for three weeks. Then during the night of 24, 25 March she suddenly had a great urge to go to the grotto in Massabielle. At five in the morning, she is on her way to the grotto with some of her relatives. Even this early in the morning, several people, including the chief of police are at the grotto. As soon as Bernadet arrived, she saw The Lady. For about an hour she remains entranced as she looks at The Lady. She asks The Lady, her name, repeating the question three times. The Lady smiles at her and then Bernadette gets the courage to ask The Lady her name for a fourth time! Now she is given THE ANSWER. I am the Immaculate Conception This statement from the Lady confirms the doctrine of Pope Pius 1X. She is "The Lady Clothed with the sun", The completely pure one.

Our Lady announced Her Immaculate Conception to Sister Catharina Labourï¿½ during the apparitions at the Rue du Bac in 1830. She also taught Sister Catharina Labourï¿½ the following prayer. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee The miraculous medal was at first called: "the medal of Mary of The Immaculate Conception". Bernadette Soubirous did not understand it, not even following her visit to the Parish Priest She started to understand it in the afternoon following her talk with Mr. Estrade, a learned man, that The Lady was The Virgin Mother. Then there is again a pause in the visions. Seventeenth Apparition - Wednesday, April 7, 1858 Bernadette Soubirous had been to confession a few days earlier and so people expected her to go to the grotto. This she did, as usual carrying a lighted candle in her left hand, her right hand protecting the flame against the wind. In the ecstasy, which follows and lasts for 15 minutes, the flame blows against her fingers. Dr.

Dozous sees no burns and believes that Bernadet really does see what she says. This was followed by the longest pause between apparitions. Eighteenth Apparition - Friday, July 16, 1858 On the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Bernadette Soubirous feels a very strong inner pull to go to the grotto. She goes there at 8 p.m. Since the previous apparition the authorities have fenced off the grotto following a decree pasted on 10th June 1858 locked it up. Bernadet kneels down on the other Side of the river Gave with her auntie Lucille. For a short period of time she is in deep ecstasy just like the previous time a few months earlier. When she is later asked what The Lady said to her, she answered: "nothing", but does say that she has never seen The Lady looking so beautiful. Following this apparition Bernadette Soubirous again returns to her normal life in faith, which means to her being completely faithful every day. The first of these eighteen apparitions of Our Lady in Lourdes took place 11 February 1858.

During and after Bernadette Soubirous is subjected to admiration, seen as being important and has people turning away from her! Her parents had a very hard time of it, how could these poor people defend themselves against threatening public pressures! But Bernadet remains her normal self. A simple, honest and devote girl. She remains calm and very open with some humour in the face of the investigations from the church and worldly authorities, displaying a resolute resistance in the face of their indelicate persistence whilst repeatedly telling them about the apparitions. A decision to become a nun develops in Bernadet at this time and finally she decides to enter the convent in Nevers, as her health is not good enough to follow the rules of any very strict orders, she loves to care for the sick and as "nobody has tried to force me to go there". Bernadette Soubirous in Nevers On July 1866, wishing to realize her desire for a life dedicated to religion, she joined the Soeurs de la Charitï¿½ of Nevers in Saint-Gildard, the seat of the congregation.

Before she left her beloved Lourdes and her family, Bernadette Soubirous went to the Grotto on the 14th of July 1866. Bernadet lives with the nuns in Nevers under name given to her at her baptism. Soeur Marie-Bernarde. At the beginning of her noviciate Sister Marie-Bernarde told the entire congregation of the nuns her full story about the apparitions, after which she was never again allowed to mention them. Some of her Mother Superiors put her to work at humble and menial tasks to keep her meek and mild. She did suffer under these humiliations, but she accepted the situation and remained very cheerful. On the day she took her final vows, the Bishop told her, that is was her work to pray.

She was given work in the convents hospital room, where she became a good and efficient nurse She herself was sick with asthma, she developed tuberculosis, calcium lose from her bones and open wounds, these things gave her a lot of suffering which together with her mental suffering, remained her daily of what Our lady had asked in Lourdes." Do penance and pray for sinners" "I promise to make, you happy, not in this world, but in the next" She died on Wednesday 16th of April 1879 aged 35. On her deathbed she once more reinforced, at the request of Pope Pius1X and the Bishop of Lourdes, under oath, her statements about the happenings at Massabielle. Following a long and strict process, as order by church law, Sister Marie-Bernarde was declared a Saint by Pope Pius X1 on the 8th of December 1933. Her body, remains intact, in a glass Shrine in the chapel of the convent in Nevers. My personal note about Lourdes in relationship with Sister Marie-Bernarde: ï¿½ She did not even know what "I am The Immaculate Conception," meant.

She was an honest and sincere young girl. It was very special, that Our Lady should choose her. The visions only brought her suffering! The world however is very greatly blessed by Lourdes. More than 5 million pilgrims per year are not unusual When the lord mayor, had the grotto, shut down and then the Bishop of Tarbe was asked to reopen it, He said," Only the Emperor can reopen the grotto. Lets who is stronger, Our Lady or the Emperor?" It was at the repeated and urgent request of Empress Eugenie that Napoleon III had the grotto reopened. Bernadet Soubirous Lourdes, France | Article about Lourdes, France by The Free Dictionary Lourdes, France | Article about Lourdes, France by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Medical , Wikipedia . Lourdes (lo͞ord), town (1990 pop. 16,581), Hautes-Pyrénées dept., SW France, at the foot of the Pyrénées. It is famous for its Roman Catholic shrine where Our Lady of Lourdes (Feast: Feb.

11) is believed to have repeatedly appeared (1858) to St. Bernadette Bernadette, Saint , 1844–79, French peasant girl who reported seeing the Virgin Mary in apparitions at a grotto near Lourdes, her home, in 1858. She was born Marie Bernarde Soubirous. The authorities, skeptical of her visions, subjected her to severe examinations and abuse. ..... Click the link for more information. . Millions of people make the pilgrimage to Lourdes each year, drawn by their faith in the miraculous cures attributed to the waters of the shrine. Bibliography See R. Harris, Lourdes (1999). A statue of Saint Bernadette commemorates the famous appearance of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes, France, where she visited the young Bernadette Soubirous on several occasions in 1858. Getty Images. Lourdes (France) (religion, spiritualism, and occult) Possibly the most well-known apparition of the Virgin Mary occurred at Lourdes, a small town in southern France near the Spanish border.

Here a young girl, Bernadette Soubirous (1844–1879), had visions of the Virgin over a period of six months in 1858. The initial vision occurred on February 11, within days of her receiving her first communion. As she searched for wood near a grotto, a moving rosebush caught her attention, and shortly thereafter a young and beautiful woman appeared above the rosebush. Bernadette dropped to her knees and began to pray, the woman joining in. The woman then disappeared. Over the next six months, the Lady appeared on eighteen occasions. She began to speak to Bernadette during the third apparition. During her ninth appearance, the Lady told Bernadette to dig in the ground, then drink from and bathe in the water that would emerge. The spring that subsequently emerged was designated as a healingspring of water for all, and a chapel was to be built at the site. When the naïve and somewhat ignorant Bernadette asked the local priest to build the chapel requested by the unknown woman, the priest instructed Bernadette to inquire as to the identity of the Lady.

In the last apparition the Lady identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. The concept of immaculate conception, that the Virgin Mary had been born without original sin, was then being debated by Catholic theologians. (Among non-Catholics, immaculate conception is often confused with Jesus’ birth from a virgin, rather than Mary’s birth without sin.) This notion coming from Bernadette helped convince the parish priest that she had, in fact, seen the Virgin. Bernadette’s claims to having seen the Virgin met with mixed responses from an increasingly secularized French public and government. While Lourdes became famous as a healing shrine, the government occasionally moved against it and at one point closed it for several years. Bernadette suffered from various illnesses in the years after the visions, and they delayed her entrance into a religious order. Finally, at the request of the local bishop, the Sisters of Nevers accepted her into the Convent of Saint-Gildard. Her illnesses only increased, and on April 16, 1879, she died at the convent’s infirmary. Her body was allowed to remain on view for three days, and many came to venerate it.

On April 19 it was placed in a coffin and sealed in the presence of a number of witnesses. With permissions secured, May 30, 1879, Bernadette’s coffin was transferred to the chapel of Saint Joseph, at the convent. In September 1909 her coffin was opened, and her body was discovered to have remained uncorrupted. This phenomenon, of course, added to her reputation. Her body can be seen today in the Nevers chapel. The spring at the grotto became the site of a growing number of cures and continues to flow to the present day. Thousands of cures have been claimed, although only a minuscule number have passed the very strict standards of the medical bureau that was established to examine the more spectacular cases and pronounce them medically unexplainable. The small chapel originally built at the grotto eventually had a basilica erected over it. A nearby church, the Basilica of Saint Pius X, was dedicated by Angelo Cardinal Roncalli (later known as Pope John XXIII) during his years as Papal Nuncio to France. It can accommodate a crowd of thirty thousand.

Bernadette was canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI. Sources: The Life of St. Bernadette Sourbirous Introduction St. Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7th, 1844 in a small town of Lourdes, in the most beautiful French Pyrenï¿½es mountains. At baptism she was given the name Marie-Bernard, but since early childhood everyone called her ï¿½Bernadette.ï¿½ Her father, Francisco was an honest man, but not very capable in business. He worked as a miller for the Casterots, an affluent family. He lived with his family at the mill of Boly. Their mother, Luisa Casterot married at age 16 to assure her future, but things did not turn out well. When the clients came to grind their wheat, the young couple would provide a complete meal to them. They were able to do so in times of abundance, but crisis and tightness came to change all this. Because of their debts, the Soubirous family had to leave the mill and find shelter in a cell of a prison, the property of Franciscoï¿½s cousin.

The entire family of six lived in one room, the father, mother, and four children. The older ones were girls, Bernadette being the first, Toinette second (two and half years younger), then two boys, Jean-Marie and Justin. To obtain the scarce daily bread for the children, Francisco and Louise accepted all types of jobs. When Bernadette was born the family still had resources. This is proven by the fact that the child was given to a wet nurse the first six months. The wet nurseï¿½s name was Marie Avarant and her married name was Lagues. She lived in the countryside five miles from Lourdes. Marie Lagues breast-fed Bernadette for 15 months, from June 1844 to October 1845. According to the custom, both families stayed very united. The economic difficulties of the Soubirous family gave opportunity for Marie to ask to care for Bernadette. This was an excuse so that Bernadette may help take care of the other children, but in reality Marie wanted her to tend the sheep. Bernadette became a contracted shepherdess without pay.

On her departure to Bartres she was promised that she will be able to be prepared for First Communion by the priest of the village. She was 14 years old and the only girl of this age in Lourdes who had not received First Communion. But seeing how well she worked, they obliged her to spend more time caring for the sheep, and this did not permit her to receive Catechism classes because she was out in the fields working. This hurt her heart very much. Bernadetteï¿½s intelligence had been questioned. Many believe she was not very intelligent. It is true she learned with difficulty and she herself said she had ï¿½a bad head,ï¿½ meaning little memory. Because she was not given the opportunity to study, Bernadette at 13 years of age did not know how to read or write. The teacher Jean Barbet, who once gave her Catechism class, said about her: ï¿½Bernadette has difficulties retaining the words in Catechism which she cannot study because she does not know how to read. However, she applies enormous effort to comprehend the meaning of the explanations.

She is very attentive, most especially, she is very pious and modest.ï¿½ Even though the priest of Bartres, Abbe Arder, had entered a monastery shortly after Bernadette arrived, he was able to capture the excellence of her heart in the little contact he had with her. The priest had much faith in the apparitions of La Salette (1846), 11 years before, and compared Bernadette with the children of La Salette. He said about Bernadette: ï¿½She seems to me like a flower surrounded in divine perfume. I assure you that on many occasions, when I have seen her, I have thought of the children of La Salette. Certainly, if the Blessed Virgin appeared to Maximino and Melania, she did so in order for them to become as simple and pious as she is.ï¿½ Neither ignorance nor poverty, not even the sickly aspect of Bernadette prevented the appreciation of her virtues of simplicity and piety. The Priest on one occasion said: ï¿½Look at this small child.

When the Blessed Virgin wants to appear on earth she chooses children like her.ï¿½ His words were prophetic, for in a few months the Blessed Virgin started to appear to Bernadette in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes. When Bernadette saw that her desire to receive Holy Communion would not be possible in Bartres, she asked Maria Lagues to allow her to go to Lourdes, insisting to her parents to allow her to return home. She wanted to receive First Communion in 1858 and needed to start catechism classes immediately. Her parents agreed and she returned to Lourdes on January 28th, 1858 only 14 days before the first apparition of the Virgin. The Blessed Mother appeared from February 11th, 1858 to July 16th of the same year. Bernadetteï¿½s piety conquered the trials Two virtues stood out in Bernadette: piety and modesty. To be pious it is not necessary to be intelligent. Even after she became a religious, she herself said that she did not know how to pray and would remain long hours in prayer.

Her prayer was not mechanical; she would speak to God and the Virgin just as we speak to a person face to face. It was a prayer from the heart: intense, honest and effective. She loved prayer. She knew very well how to pray the Holy Rosary, which she always carried in her pocket. She had the Rosary in her hands when Our Lady appeared. Her first response in times of difficulties or trials was to take out the Rosary and start praying. This small soul chosen by the Virgin had much to suffer both morally and physically until her death. But we should never forget that God guided this small child and she responded with humility, abandonment, faith and courage. Bernadette had virtues that were criticized by the people as ï¿½defects.ï¿½ Because of this error of the people, the authenticity of the apparitions was doubted. This child of only 14 years old (she became 14 on Jan. 7th, 1858) had to be wise, firm, extraordinarily courageous, and how to make discernments and confront the people trying to dissuade her, among them priests, bishops, head of police, attorneys, etc.

To have an idea of the interior fortitude and capacity of judgment Bernadette had, we can see some statements she made during an interrogation to which she was submitted. After the Chief Prosecutor, Mr. Dutor, made Bernadette and her mother stand for a long time, he finally said to them : ï¿½There are chairs. You may sit down.ï¿½ Bernadette responded: ï¿½No. We can dirty them.ï¿½ On another occasion, when she was asked about the language that the Virgin spoke, Bernadette said: ï¿½She spoke to me in dialect.ï¿½ They responded to her: ï¿½The Virgin Mary couldnï¿½t have spoken in dialect, because God and the Virgin donï¿½t speak dialect.ï¿½ Bernadette responded: ï¿½How can we know and speak dialect if they donï¿½t speak it? Do you think she spoke to me in French? Do I speak French?ï¿½ In the twelfth apparition, Bernadette gave the Virgin a rosary.

After the apparition, a priest asked her: ï¿½Now you also bless rosaries?ï¿½ Bernadette smiled and said: ï¿½I donï¿½t wear a stole do I?ï¿½ Another person asked her: ï¿½Well Bernadette, now that the Virgin promised you will go to heaven, you donï¿½t need to worry about your soul.ï¿½ Bernadette: ï¿½But, Father, I will only go to heaven if I behave correctly.ï¿½ Her interrogations were long hours, sometimes entire days; they tried by all means to deceive her so she would contradict her declarations. But she maintained herself alert, on guard, knowing they were not looking for the truth, but wanted to prove she invented everything. Bernadette frequently had to confront the Pastor of Lourdes, Abbe Peyramale, who had a reputation of having a bad temper. In all the occasions that our saint went to visit him, even fearful, she always controlled this natural tendency. Her will to accomplish the mission Our Lady gave her was more powerful than the bad temper of the priest.

We see how Bernadette fulfilled the desires of the Virgin even though she had obstacles and personal weaknesses. On March 25th, 1858, the Virgin revealed her identity, giving Bernadette the proof her pastor insisted upon. The words of the Blessed Virgin, ï¿½Iï¿½m the Immaculate Conception,ï¿½ brought down once and for all the wall unbelief in the pastorï¿½s heart, who became at this moment one of the greatest defenders and supporters of the apparitions, using his same temper to defend the girl against attackers. The Lourdes apparitions were different from other apparitions like La Salette, Pointman, Fatima, Knock, Beuraing. With the exception of the apparition of the miraculous medal, Bernadette was the only visionary. She did not have another person to corroborate and support her testimony. Her only fountain of strength was the Blessed Virgin which was sufficient for her. A time was to come when her gifts, interior fortitude, her diligence in answering questions, all of which she used to defend the apparitions of the Virgin, were going to be used against her.

Those who supported her knew and understood her great virtues, but according to those who criticized her these virtues were great defects. Her interior fortitude was called stubbornness; her diligence in responding was insolence. Once, in the Convent of Saint Gildard in Nevers, when she was accused of having self love, she drew a circle and put a mark with her finger in the center of the circle and said: ï¿½Whoever doesnï¿½t have self love put your finger hereï¿½ (indicating the marked center). For Bernadette the apparitions were an unmerited blessing, this gift by itself did not make her a saint. It was a gift for the world, but at the same time, because of her admirable attitude she received graces leading her to holiness. It is important to clarify that St. Bernadette did not become a saint because she saw the Virgin Mary, but because she climbed the ladder of holiness through enormous trials and crosses. To be a saint it is not necessary to have great mystical experiences. It is necessary and sufficient to have two things: HUMILITY AND LOVE. It is in ardent prayer and a life of virtue that love is expressed in itself.

Bernadette after the apparitions The humble young lady chosen for such a great mission remained as she was before the apparitions. In other words the Virgin conserved her simple, humble and modest. She did not like the uproar and popularity. She seemed like any ordinary girl, except in her virtues, innocence, candor and honesty in works. She piously received her First Holy Communion that same year on June 3, 1858, the Feast of Corpus Christi. God continued visiting her, not with brilliant apparitions, but through the bitter trial of sufferings: of incomprehension, mockery and ridicule, she was ill most of the time, she withstood all types of pain, but she maintained herself recollected with patience. She suffered from chronic asthma, tuberculosis, vomiting blood, aneurism, gastritis, tumor in the knee, cavities in the bones, and abscesses in the ear leading to deafness. Shortly before death she slightly regained hearing. The Virgin had said to Bernadette: ï¿½I promise to make you happy, not in this world, but in the next.ï¿½ These words of the Virgin were fulfilled fully in our saint.

She suffered much during her life until her death at the age of 35. Bernadetteï¿½s health was very delicate; she was often in bed with high fevers and experienced many critical days with painful attacks of asthma. Many found a cure in the fountain of Lourdes, but not Bernadette. One day she was asked: ï¿½Why donï¿½t you drink from the water of the fountain? This water has cured others, why not you?ï¿½ This insidious question could have become a temptation for Bernadette, but she was not disturbed. Bernadette responded: ï¿½The Blessed Virgin perhaps desires for me to suffer.

I need it.ï¿½ ï¿½Why you more than others?ï¿½ ï¿½The good God knows.ï¿½ ï¿½Will you return to the grotto again?ï¿½ ï¿½When the Pastor permits it.ï¿½ ï¿½Why doesnï¿½t he permit it all the time?ï¿½ ï¿½Because all the people follow me.ï¿½ ï¿½You have gone before even though it was prohibited.ï¿½ ï¿½This was because I was pressured.ï¿½ ï¿½The Virgin said you will be happy in another world; therefore are you sure you are going to heaven?ï¿½ ï¿½O no, this is only if I do what is good.ï¿½ ï¿½Didnï¿½t she tell you what to do to go to heaven?ï¿½ ï¿½You know it very well; it is not necessary for me to repeat it.ï¿½ Last years in Lourdes Bernadette was unable to receive in her home the care she needed for her fragile health and the great numbers of curious visitors made her very tired

.

Seeing this need, Abbe Peyramal asked the Superior of the Lourdes Hospice to receive the child. The priest said: ï¿½The child should be with you because you can give her the care she needs in all aspects.ï¿½ In 1860, the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, who served in the hospital and the school, offered her help. Since that day she stayed under their roof with her delicate health but with orders to never attract attention to herself from anyone. Even when her parents moved from the jail to the mill, the sisters still gave her permission to stay with them. Her mother cried when she left, but she knew this was best for her daughter. In the hospice Bernadette was assigned to the care of Sister Elizabeth who was to teach her to read and write. Bernadette was 16 years old, it was July of 1860. The superior told Sister Elizabeth: ï¿½It is said she is not too intelligent.

See if there is a possibility to do something with her.ï¿½ Referring to Bernadette Sister Elizabeth said: ï¿½I found in her a vivid intelligence, perfect innocence and an exquisite heart.ï¿½ She ended up reporting to the Mother Superior the following: ï¿½My dear Mother, you have been mislead. Bernadette is very intelligent and retains very well the doctrine given.ï¿½ Without being brilliant, Bernadette acquired a lot of knowledge. During her time in the hospice, she still acted like someone her age. She was honorable, sincere, pious and playful, very vivid, enjoyed laughter, saying jokes and playing games. Many times she was given the task of caring for the younger children, as customary in elementary schools. Bernadette showed herself to be as young and playful as the youngest girl. One of the children said: ï¿½Bernadette was very simple. When we asked her to take care of us, she did so in such a way that she seemed like another child playing with us, not letting us be reminded of her miraculous adventure.

Raised with the thought that our friend saw the Virgin Mary, we consider her very natural as a child of today who has seen the president of the Republic.ï¿½ Bernadette was completely natural in her daily behavior, but she was very serious in her Christian life. During her growing years Bernadette had, like all young ladies, her moments of vanity, wanting to look good. But all these vanities passed by her rapidly without leaving a trace in her heart. Sister Victorina said: ï¿½The fever passed rapidly and didnï¿½t harm her profound piety.ï¿½ The community also counted on Bernadetteï¿½s prayers. One day Mother Alejandrina suffered a sprain and the doctor recommended that she rest. However, she was very active and asked Bernadette to ask the Virgin to cure her. Bernadette immediately went to pray before the statue of the Virgin in the chapel. She prayed with all her heart. The following day the doctor found Mother Alejandrina occupied in her work, as if nothing had happened. Her religious vocation The Blessed Virgin Mary gave her a special grace by calling her to religious life. It seemed Bernadette never seriously considered marriage.

In 1863 at the age of 19 or 20, her religious vocation was clearly presented to her. She thought of being a Carmelite, but it was not difficult for her to comprehend that her health was too delicate to confront the rigors of the Carmel. Bishop Forcade of Nevers who guided Bernadette had in his diocese the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity of Hospice and the School of Lourdes. He asked Bernadette what her future intentions were and she responded: ï¿½Dear Bishop, all I ask is to stay in this house as a servant.ï¿½ ï¿½But my child, havenï¿½t you thought of becoming a religious like the sisters you are so close to?ï¿½ ï¿½O Bishop, I have never believed this was possible for an ignorant and poor child like me. You know very well that Iï¿½m poor and donï¿½t have the necessary dowry.ï¿½ ï¿½Poverty should not detain you.

An exception to the rule can be made and a young lady can be received without a dowry if she shows clear indications of a vocation.ï¿½ ï¿½Bishop, your words have touched me profoundly, I promise I will think about it.ï¿½ Bernadette knew a decision like this should not be done without consideration and reflection. The Bishop was very complacent with her prudence and recommended her to take her time and to make a decision with complete liberty and without haste. On August 1864, Bernadette said to the Mother Superior of the Hospice: ï¿½My dear Mother, I have prayed much to know if Iï¿½m called to religious life. I believe the answer is yes. I would like to enter the congregation if Iï¿½m accepted. Permit me to write to the Bishop.ï¿½ In response, the Superior embraced Bernadette with tears of joy. After her decision, she experienced attacks of illnesses. The need to try several medicines to cure her delayed her entrance. In 1866 she wrote: ï¿½Iï¿½m more convinced than ever to leave the world.

Now I have definitely decided and hope to leave it soon.ï¿½ Finally the great day came in July of 1866; she was 22 years old. She visited her beloved grotto for the last time with a farewell from the heart. ï¿½See this grotto? It was my heaven on earth.ï¿½ The following day she said good-bye to her family and on July 4th, 1866, Bernadette left her birth place and never returned. Before departing she said a prayer inspired from the Magnificat in thanksgiving for the poverty of her servant. Directed to Mary she said: ï¿½Yes, dear Mother, you have come down to the earth to appear to a weak child. You, Queen of heaven and earth, have chosen what was the most humble according to the world.ï¿½ The religious, the saint She departed to start her novitiate. She arrived at the convent of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers on July 7th, 1866 in the evening. On Sunday, Bernadette had a nostalgic attack that lead her to cry all day.

She was encouraged by the sisters telling her that this was a good sign because her religious life should start with sacrifice. In the history of the Mother house one can read: ï¿½Bernadette is in reality all we have heard of her, humble in a supernatural way; simple and modest even though she has been exposed to things that would elevate her mind. She smiles and is sweet and happy, even though her illness is eating her up. This is the seal of holiness, suffering united with celestial joy.ï¿½ Sister Marie Bernard Neither the Superior Mother Josefina Imbert nor the novice mistress Mother Maria Teresa Vausou understood the treasure God had given them. They did admit that the Virgin appeared to Bernadette, but they saw her so ï¿½ordinaryï¿½ that they had difficulty in seeing her holiness. Apparently their idea of holiness was different from the Churchï¿½s. In the diocesan process of Beatification, Rev. P. Peach, professor of dogmatic theology in the seminary of Moulins, said to his students: ï¿½The testimony was this: Bernadette was very ordinary.

But when asked if she was faithful to the rules, if she needed to be corrected for disobedience or in reference to the vows of poverty, chastity, all the sisters agreed and said: O no, none of this.ï¿½ Why did the superiors treat her poorly? We can only respond that it was part of Divine Providence for the sanctification of Bernadette. Particularly the Novice Mistress, Mother Maria Teresa Vauzou, caused much spiritual suffering for Bernadette during the 13 years she lived in the convent. Mother Maria Teresa was known for her observant eye and her psychological penetration; but she was never capable of capturing this pure soulï¿½s intimate union with God and total abandonment to the desires of Godï¿½s Divine Will that formed her interior life. Bernadette never studied forms of prayer, but spent hours praying, reciting her rosary with great devotion. She lived in perpetual union with the Virgin Mary and with Jesus through Her. Bernadette was completely immersed in God Upon receiving her postulant habit, her religious name was given; it was her same baptismal name- Sister Marie Bernard.

Anticipated profession Three weeks after receiving the habit, Bernadette became gravely ill with a new attack of tuberculosis and had to be admitted to the infirmary. This crisis of asthmatic suffocation and of coughing was so serious that the doctor thought she would die soon. Mother Superior called the Bishop and he administered the Extreme Unction, but she was unable to receive the Viaticum because of her constant coughing and vomiting of blood. Thinking Bernadette was to die soon, Mother Superior gave her the consolation of permitting her to pronounce her vows. She talked to the Bishop and the community approved. Knowing what she was about to do, Bernadette responded with a thankful smile. Bishop Forcade presided over the ceremony. Bernadette gave her consent by signs because she was not able to speak. She was given the profession veil. All believed she was dying but Bernadette always put her health in the hands of Mary. The new religious fell asleep and woke up the next morning very happy, declaring to her Superior: ï¿½My Reverend Mother, you allowed me to do my religious profession, thinking I was going to die.

Well look, Iï¿½m not going to die.ï¿½ The Mother Superior responded: ï¿½You silly girl, you knew you were not going to die and did not tell us. In this case, if you have not died by tomorrow morning I will take your veil away.ï¿½ Sister Marie Bernard simply responded with admirable heroic submission: ï¿½As you wish, Reverend Mother.ï¿½ Even though this caused her great pain she knew how to accept this chalice that the Lord sent her. Her mother died on December 8th, 1866 at the age of 45 years. This was one of the greatest sufferings that Bernadette experienced. In her pain she said to the Lord: ï¿½My God, you have willed this! I accept the chalice you have given me. May your Name be blessed.ï¿½ During her novitiate Bernadette was treated harshly and perhaps with more cruelty than the rest of the novices. Her companions would say: ï¿½It is not good to be Bernadette.ï¿½ But she accepted all and saw the hand of God in everything.

Bernadette professed on October 30th, 1867 with the name of Sister Marie Bernard. She was 23 years old. The happiness of this moment, however, was stained by cruel humiliation. When time came to distribute the newly professed sisters their work, Mother Superior responded to the Bishopï¿½s question: ï¿½What about Sister Marie Bernard?ï¿½ ï¿½O Bishop, we do not know what to do. She is good for nothing. If you desire, Bishop, we can try to use her as a helper in the infirmary.ï¿½ The Bishop agreed. Sister Marie Bernard received the pain of this humiliation in her heart without any complaints or tears, she simply accepted the chalice. The next chalice she was to drink was the death of her father in 1871, six years after the death of her mother. She did not get a chance to him after leaving Lourdes. A sister found her crying in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary and when the sister was going to console her she said:ï¿½My sister, always have great devotion to the agony of our Savior.

Saturday in the afternoon I prayed to Jesus in agony for all those who would die at this moment, and it was precisely the moment my father entered eternity. What a consolation it is for me to have helped him.ï¿½ She had to go through many tribulations; big and small humiliations bombarded her. She said: ï¿½When my emotions are too strong, I remember the words of Our Lord: ï¿½It is I, donï¿½t be afraid.ï¿½ I immediately appreciate and thank Our Lord for this grace of rejections and humiliations from my Superiors and sisters. It is the love of this Good Master who would remove the roots from this tree of pride. The more little I become, the more I grow in the Heart of Jesus.ï¿½ Bernadette was given a great gift in the beginning of 1874. She was an assistant in the infirmary, a job she loved very much, but her strength was diminishing.

After a bronchitis attack she had in the fall of 1873, for which she was hospitalized, it was determined she was too weak to continue helping in the infirmary and was given the work that required the least physical effort. It was at the same time the most important and the one which she loved more than being a helper in the infirmary. Later she was named assistant sacristan. Her new position gave her the opportunity to spend more time in the chapel, close to the Blessed Sacrament. She was almost without supervision, something which permitted her to talk to the Lord in the Tabernacle without anyone thinking she was strange. She managed all the sacred vessels with great reverence. The corporal, purificators and albs were treated conscious that Jesus Incarnate touched them during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. That is why she did not permit anyone to help her in this ministry. This gift, however, did not last too long because her health deteriorated. She became disabled from 1877 until her death. She was provided with all possible help and she obeyed all doctors orders.

She professed Perpetual Vows on September 22nd, 1878, during a period when she was feeling better. Her good health, however, did not last long. The following December 11th, she returned to the infirmary to never leave it. Her last months were very difficult. She went through the dark night of the soul. She lost her confidence, her peace of heart and the certitude of heaven. She was tempted with discouragement and desperation, thinking she was not worthy of salvation. This was her most bitter chalice and the greatest suffering. She suffered very much physically. Being in bed created wounds all over her back. Her tuberculosis ridden leg burst. She developed abbesses in her ears, making her completely deaf for some time. If it were not for the evidence of her symptoms no one would suspect she was so sick. Her serene and joyful attitude did not manifest the profound suffering she was going through. Bernadette never lost her fortitude and acceptance.

To a sister who said she was going to pray to the Lord so He would console Bernadette, the latter responded: ï¿½No, no, no consolation, only strength and patience.ï¿½ Bernadette experienced her passion during Holy Week of 1879. On April 16th, 1879 she asked the religious to pray the rosary with her while she followed with fervor. At the end of the Hail Mary, she smiled as if she had encountered again the Virgin in the Grotto. Then she died at 3:15 PM. Her last words were the conclusion of the Hail Mary: ï¿½Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners...sinners...ï¿½ Her body was placed in the small Gothic Chapel situated in the center of the conventï¿½s garden which was dedicated to St. Joseph. On September 22, 1909, 30 years after her death, her body was removed from this same chapel to be examined for the Diocesan Beatification process. The body was found in a perfectly preserved state. Her skin was hard, but intact and her color remained.

A second examination occurred on April 18th, 1925, just before her beatification on June 12, 1925. Bernadette was canonized on December 8th, 1933. We celebrate her feast day on the day she went to the Fatherï¿½s house: April 16th. Lourdes has become the most visited Marian Shrine of Europe and the second in the world after the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. An infinite number of sick people have visited Lourdes and have been healed in the miraculous waters, but the greatest gift is still the amount of conversions of the heart. Today, Saint Bernadetteï¿½s body can still be seen incorrupt in the Chapel of Nevers in the glass casket where she appears to be asleep. Her sweetness and peace touch all our hearts. Saint Bernadette facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Saint Bernadette The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.

Copyright The Columbia University Press Saint Bernadette (bûrnədĕt´), 1844–79, French peasant girl who reported seeing the Virgin Mary in apparitions at a grotto near Lourdes, her home, in 1858. She was born Marie Bernarde Soubirous. The authorities, skeptical of her visions, subjected her to severe examinations and abuse. After years of unpleasantness at the hands of the curious, the skeptical, and the powerful, she was allowed to enter the convent of Notre-Dame de Nevers. There Bernadette, her health steadily worsening, spent her last days. She was canonized in 1933. Feast: Apr. 16. See biographies by L. Cristiani (1965) and A. Stafford (1967). Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. MLA 1000+ images about Bernadette Soubirous on Pinterest | Lady of lourdes, Lourdes france and Saints Marie Bernarde "Bernadette" Soubirous 1844 – 1879, France.

As child she had visions of the virgin Mary in a cave. Those visions formed the base for Lourdes the pilgrimage site, attracting over five million Christian pilgrims each year. See More 1000+ images about Saint Bernadette on Pinterest | French, Search and Vintage holy cards St. Bernadette of Lourdes - from a wonderful, well-researched 1904 account of her life here … See More Why The 'Apparitions' Of The Virgin Mary In This Small Bosnian Town Are So Controversial | The Huffington Post Why The 'Apparitions' Of The Virgin Mary In This Small Bosnian Town Are So Controversial 06/10/2015 01:23 pm ET | Updated Jun 10, 2015 330 Antonia Blumberg Associate Religion Editor, The Huffington Post ELVIS BARUKCIC via Getty Images The Vatican will soon rule on the validity of a series of alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje, Pope Francis announced on Saturday .

The site has become a booming tourist destination for the more than 1 million pilgrims who visit the town each year with the hopes of receiving a message from the blessed figure. But the alleged apparitions are controversial within the Catholic Church. Here's why: What is an apparition? An apparition is a sight or vision that may be unexpected or even supernatural. In the Catholic sense, apparitions are considered to be supernatural visions or revelations , typically of the Virgin Mary, saints or even God. There have been more than 1,500 visions of Mary reported around the world, according to Catholic News Service . But these visions are only accepted by the church once the local bishop determines their veracity. In 1978, the Vatican distributed a set of procedural rules to bishops for weighing alleged apparitions, which included determining a subject's psychological state and curtailing any devotional cults that might arise out of the event. What's the story behind the Virgin Mary "apparitions" in Medjugorje? The reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje are among the most famous in modern times.

In 1981, six children began reporting visions of the Madonna clad in white and holding a child in her arms. Several of the individuals claim that the apparitions have continued regularly over the years and contain 10 "secrets" describing events that will occur on Earth in the future. Why are they controversial? Although the church has approved other Marian apparitions in the past, the ones at Medjugorje are widely contested. The local bishop has stated that he does not believe the visions to be authentic , descrying the "lies that are at times put into the mouth of the 'Madonna.'" According to the official website for the Medjugorje pilgrimage , apparitions of Mary told the children that a sign will appear in the place where she first appeared to them. The site says the "visionaries" reported her as saying: "This sign will be given for the atheists. You faithful already have signs and you have become the sign for the atheists. You faithful must not wait for the sign before you convert; convert soon. This time is a time of grace for you. You can never thank God enough for His grace. The time is for deepening your faith, and for your conversion.

When the sign comes, it will be too late for many." What is the Catholic Church's position? In 2010, then-Pope Benedict XVI launched an international commission to study the apparitions at Medjugorje. On Saturday, Pope Francis said the commission has submitted its report to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for review. Among the church's chief concerns is the fact that the alleged visions have continued for more than 30 years, which proved difficult for the commission to verify. What is Pope Francis's position? In his homily on Tuesday, the pope appeared to dismiss the apparitions as "novelty-seeking," chiding those "who always need novelty in their Christian identity." "This isn't Christian identity," he said.

"God's last word is called Jesus and nothing more." Also on HuffPost: Chimayó - Santa Fe, New Mexico William Aranda/Wikimedia Commons Located roughly 30 miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, El Santuariò de Chimayó is called the "Lourdes of America." Legend holds that a wooden crucifix appeared on the hillside in the early 19th century where the chapel now stands, several times mysteriously returning to the same spot after being transported to a nearby church. A chapel was built on the site as a result, and thousands of pilgrims now visit it every year. Many come particularly for the healing dirt that sits beneath the church, accessible by a small well in an attached hermitage. Lourdes - France DigitalImagination/Getty Images The southern French town of Lourdes is a popular site where Catholics celebrate the 1858 apparition of the Virgin Mary to shepherd girl Bernadette Soubirous . Millions of pilgrims visit Lourdes every year to bathe in and drink from the spring believed to have curative powers.

Visitors can also attend Mass, which is observed every day, and visit the home of Bernadette, who was canonized in 1933. Naag Mandir - Fiji Naag Mandir/Blogspot Naag Mandir is the temple for a Hindu snake god and houses the mysterious "growing stone." First discovered over a century ago, according to legend, the stone was originally just two feet tall and continued growing over the years. The stone now stands at about 15 feet tall. Devotees come to the temple to pray for fertility , health and good fortune. Medjugorje - Bosnia Elvis Barukcic/Getty Images Medjugorje has been an important pilgrimage site since 1981 when six local "visionaries" began seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary . The apparitions delivered messages to each of villagers over the years that followed, though the Catholic Church has been divided over the authenticity of these visions. Nonetheless, over 30 million pilgrims have visited the site in search of miracles, visions and spiritual healing.

The Ganges River - India AP The Ganges River , known as Ganga Ma or "Mother Ganges," runs from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal coming to a feat of 1,560 miles. To the many people living around it, and those who believe in its majesty, this river represents life, purity, and a goddess. It is believed that anyone who touches these purifying waters is cleansed of sin. Mount Kailash - Tibet Rijko Ebens/Getty Images Though not as highly visited by pilgrims as other holy sites, Mount Kailash is a sacred place for Hindus, Jains and people of the pre-Buddhist Bön tradition. Hindus believe it to be the home of the god Shiva , and Jains believe it to the place where Rishaba attained liberation. The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash involves an arduous multi-day walk around the base of the mountain with the hope of increasing psychic awareness and moving from ignorance to enlightenment.

Char Dham - India Garry Weare/Getty Images Char Dham, meaning "Four Abodes," actually refers to four sites - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Sri Kedarnathji and Sri Badrinathji - that make up one of the most holy pilgrimages for Hindus. Undertaking the journey to these sites is believed to ensure the pilgrim's release from the cycle of reincarnation. The pilgrimage was reportedly initiated in the 8th century by philosopher Adi Shankaracharya and has since been completed by millions of pilgrims . Western Wall - Jerusalem, Israel Kommersant Photo/Getty Images The Western Wall is one of the most sacred sites in Judaism, as it is all that remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem , believed to have been destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Visitors of all religions are able to approach the wall, and many pilgrims slip pieces of paper with prayers and petitions into the cracks between the stones. As a remnant of time past, many see the Western Wall as a symbol of hope and regeneration in the face of adversity.

Glastonbury - England Flickr/Wikimedia Commons Glastonbury Tor is the name of a English hill atop which sits a 14th century church tower. Now a place of spiritual importance for Christians based on legend that Jesus once visited the site , ritual surrounding the Glastonbury Tor is believed to date back to ancient times . The ancient Druids named the hill the Island of Glass, and some modern pagans believe the Tor to be enchanted . Christians and pagans alike make pilgrimage to Glastonbury, whether to observe Mass, drink from the healing Chalice Well or climb the famous Tor. The Golden Temple - India AP The Golden Temple is located in Amritsar, India and is historically a central religious site for the Sikh faith. Representing a strong Sikh foundation and distinct identity and heritage, the Golden Temple averages fifty thousand visitors daily . However, anybody, despite cast or creed can come to this open pilgrimage spot to seek spiritual comfort, solace, and perform individual prayers. Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica - Mexico City, Mexico Getty Images Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica is the most popular Marian shrine in the world, visited by pilgrims from around the world praying for the Virgin's intercession .

According to the Catholic News Agency , the "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Indian named Saint Juan Diego and identified herself as the Mother of the True God. She told him to build a church on the site and left an image of herself on his tilma, a low-grade cactus-cloth. According to this source, the tilma could not have stayed in tact for more than 20 years but remains in place even after 470 years. Vaishno Devi Temple - India Dinodia Photos/Getty Images The Mata Vaishno Devi temple is located in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir near the town of Katra. It is one of the most revered sites for Hindus, visited every year by over eight million devotees . It is believed that pilgrims will first hear a call from the Divine Mother to visit the shrine, after which they will embark on the journey to receive her love and blessings. Madron Well - Cornwall, England David Clapp/Getty Images One of several reputed holy wells throughout Cornwall, Madron Well stands near the remains of a 12th century chapel and is named for the Christian Saint Madern.

The well's significance as a holy site is believed to derive, however, from pre-Christian pagan worship . To this day pilgrims visit Madron Well in pursuit of spiritual and physical healing, ripping pieces of clothing near their afflicted areas and tying them to the branches of nearby trees.

Question: Near what French town did Marie-Bernarde (Bernadette) Soubirous reportedly see visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858?
Answer: Lourdes