Lourdes is a city in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France that is famous for the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the year 1858 to a young woman named Bernadette Soubirous.
Since then, it has become one of the main Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world.
According to legend, in February 1858, Bernadette Soubirous saw a vision of a "lady dressed in white" in the Massabielle cave outside Lourdes.
The vision was repeated several times, and eventually the "lady" identified herself as the Virgin Mary. Bernadette reported the visions of her to the religious authorities and, after a series of investigations, the apparitions were declared to be authentic.
Since then, Lourdes has been visited by millions of pilgrims seeking healing and spiritual peace in the sanctuary built on the site of the apparitions.
The city has expanded and has many places of interest, including the Basilica of the Rosary, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Grotto of Massabielle, the Moulin de Boly and the Museum of Lourdes.
See more about how to get to Lourdes