Bernadette’s life path

In this part of town, the development of pilgrimage and hotels gave birth to new jobs: the lavenders used to clean bed sheets and table linen in the Gave River, underneath the castle cliffs

The Grotto Boulevard was built by the Sanctuary chaplains, in collaboration with the State, to connect directly the train station to Saint-Michel Gate, the main access to the Sanctuary. Saint-Michel Bridge was built by the architect Edouard Harlé (1850–1922). The works began in 1877 and took into account the devastating water flow of June 13, 1875 and they ended 1881.

In September 1859, the Soubirous family moved to settle in Moulin Gras, thanks to the financial assistance of Abbot Peyramale. Bernadette Soubirous had her own little bedroom.

Bernadette Soubirous’s family had to face poverty, moving of home frequently, unable to pay the rents. Bernadette’s parents, each one descendant of millers, had lived in five watermills in this area of the Lapacca: three in the higher course, among which Moulin Boly where was born Bernadette in 1844, and two toward the Gave river: Moulin Baudéan and Moulin Gras.

The street “rue Bernadette Soubirous” constitutes the old watermills area, in the heart of Bernadette’s daily life: she was born and had lived for ten years at Moulin de Boly; then the Soubirous family was forced by misfortune to move to several precarious domiciles. Mgr. Laurence had rented then bought in 1867 the Moulin Lacadé to preserve Bernadette’s father from misery: from there its name of “Maison Paternelle” (the Paternal House).

The origin of “cagots” is not well defined: medical? In the Middle Ages, the lepers have been assimilated to “cagots”, afterwards the leper became an excuse. Ethnical? Meaning descendants of Visigoths. Religious? For example descendants of Moors? Their existence is proven since the 12th century under the name of crestias and their segregation had lasted in the Pyrenees until the middle of the 20th century.

The “cagots” were a marginal social minority. They have lived under four main interdictions: to marry the rest of the population; to have neighbours freely; to be buried in the same cemeteries; and to work the earth, forcing them to wood related activities. Therefore, the community needed them for the construction of houses and buildings and paid them for that.

In the hospice, Bernadette Soubirous attended religious instruction classes before the Apparitions. On June 3, 1858 she did there her first holy communion. After the Apparitions, she was admitted as a boarder to protect her against visitors’ harassment and to get an education. Finally, she left definitely Lourdes on July 4, 1866 to join Saint-Gildard convent in Nevers.

The development of Lourdes is connected to pilgrims’ trains. On March 9, 1866 the station was inaugurated and the first steam engine reached Lourdes on March 27. In 1887, the definitive station was finished with its metallic structure and its 92 meters long platforms. For the fiftieth anniversary of the Apparitions, up to 300 000 pilgrims came to Lourdes by train, the beginnings of the arrival of countless crowds on the 20th century.

In the old times, the road crossed the Lapacca River on the Arrieux Bridge and climbed up the “rue Basse”. In 1844 was built the “chaussée Maransin” to avoid this steep section. The Lapacca River, underground since 1883, flows under the square and the boulevard towards the Gave River. Its course allowed to operate some watermills. The Lapacca square became Jeanne d’Arc square after her beatification in 1909.

The fountain of the three nozzles is the oldest fountain in Lourdes, representing the lively centre of the city in the Middle Ages. It was modified in 1811. In 1881, the municipality council decided to renovate it totally. Three copper nozzles were installed to regulate its flow, thus giving it its name: “la fontaine aux trois becs” (the fountain of the three nozzles). Today it still keeps its features of 1881.

On March 25, 1858 Bernadette transmitted here in Occitan to Abbot Peyramale the words of the Apparition: « I am the Immaculate Conception ». In 1973, the descendants of Lacour, owners of the building since 1922, transferred it to the city of Lourdes which established there the community library until 2007. The building keeps untouched one part of the wall of its old garden as well as the door through which Bernadette went in.

The baptismal basin, made of marble from Lourdes, is dated from the Roman ages. Bernadette Soubirous was baptised on 9 January 1844 over these basins which were originally in the former Saint-Pierre church.

Bernadette Soubirous had lived in this room of 16 m² with her parents, her sister and both her brothers from May of 1856 until mid-September of 1858. This hovel was the former dungeon of Lourdes, abandoned in 1824. This was the domicile of the Soubirous family during the Apparitions. They left that place in September to live at the Deluc’s place, a pastry cook on place Marcadal.

On the 19th century, the medieval cemetery situated in Saint-Pierre church became too small. It was transferred to “rue de l’Égalité”. In this cemetery are the ones of the witnesses of the Apparitions, of the hospitallers, of the Soubirous family (except Bernadette whose grave is in Nevers) and of Bernadette’s Novice Mistress. There is also the War Memorial, a rare work by the sculptor Jean-Marie Mengue.

Until 1881, the only point to cross the Gave River and to access Massabielle was through this Pont-Vieux. Bernadette took it on each Apparition (except the last one). It was also the itinerary of the first pilgrimages. This bridge has existed since the Middle Ages. In 1870, the city decided to flatten it by suppressing its bump. In 1900, it was enlarged to allow for the passage of the tramway.

On February 11, 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, her sister Toinette and her friend Jeanne Abadie crossed the Pont-Vieux and went there to get some wood. At the Massabielle Grotto, Bernadette’s destiny changed as well as the destiny of Lourdes. The left bank of the Gave River was then composed of farming lands that are today hotels and shops. Saint Joseph statue was erected in 1909.