Tags: France | Lourdes

Catholic Holy site Lourdes Holds First Online Pilgrimage

Thursday, 16 July 2020 07:38 AM EDT

PARIS (AP) — One of the Catholic Church’s holiest sites, Lourdes, is holding its first-ever online pilgrimage on Thursday, to mark the anniversary of claims by 19th-century girl Bernadette Soubirous that the Virgin Mary appeared to her.

July 16 marks the anniversary of Bernadette’s visions, and the discovery of allegedly healing spring waters. It led the church to build a cathedral there in southern France near the Pyrenees.

The day-long celebrations include Masses, processions and prayers, in addition to priests and guests speaking about how Lourdes has impacted their lives. It’s being called “Lourdes United,” and is being broadcast all day until 10 p.m.

As well as being a holy site, Lourdes also attracts around 3 million pilgrims a year — the second most popular place after Paris — and the region’s tourism has badly suffered during the coronavirus crisis.

© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


GlobalTalk
One of the Catholic Church's holiest sites, Lourdes, is holding its first-ever online pilgrimage on Thursday, to mark the anniversary of claims by 19th-century girl Bernadette Soubirous that the Virgin Mary appeared to her.July 16 marks the anniversary of Bernadette's...
France,Lourdes
137
2020-38-16
Thursday, 16 July 2020 07:38 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
 
TOP

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
NEWSMAX.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved