Heavy rains and flooding have caused Marian shrine of Lourdes in southern France on Saturday led to a short-term closure of the famous Grotto of Massabielle. After the water level had receded, the pilgrimage site was cleaned and reopened to visitors on Saturday evening, the pilgrimage site announced on its website. The Chapel of Lights, which was also flooded, should be open to the public again on Sunday. The baths with spring water, which is said to have healing properties, will remain closed for the time being. They first had to be cleaned and checked after the flooding, it was said. A reopening is expected in a few days.
During his current trip, Pope Francis spoke about the situation in Lourdes on Sunday after a mass in Papua New Guinea. “Our thoughts are with the shrine of Lourdes, which has unfortunately been hit by flooding,” he said.
The Gave de Pau river, which flows through Lourdes, overflowed its banks on Saturday after heavy rain. The pilgrimage site published photos showing the grotto partially under water. However, the emergency plan for flood protection had “proven its effectiveness,” it said. The French newspaper “La Croix” reported on the evacuation of hundreds of pilgrims from hotels that were threatened by the floods.
The pilgrimage site of Lourdes has been hit by severe flooding several times in recent decades. The grotto on the north side of the sanctuary, close to which the Gave de Pau river flows, is particularly frequently affected.
Lourdes is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in the world. In 1858, Mary is said to have appeared 18 times to the then 14-year-old shepherd girl Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879) in this small town in the south of France. In 1862, the apparition of the Virgin Mary was officially recognized by the Catholic Church. Millions of people from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Lourdes every year. Only at the end of May, the media reported on an inexplicable healing in the Marian town. According to the report, a visually impaired woman from Madrid said she had regained her sight during a recent pilgrimage after drinking water from the local spring. (mpl/KNA)
