In 1858 a poor young girl named Bernadette Soubirous was out gathering firewood when she saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in a cave (Grotte) called Massabielle. Over the next few weeks there were seventeen more apparitions, causing great consternation in the town. After revealing herself as the Immaculate Conception, the Lady requested that a Chapel be built at the grotto for the faithful to visit.

Today, the grotto itself is actually under the churches—Basilica of the Rosary and Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. A statue of the Virgin Mary in a niche at the front of the cave indicates where Bernadette saw her.

Visitors can file through the shallow cave in a line, touching the cave walls and seeing the famous spring. Those in wheelchairs and seeking healing will be given priority, so you may wait in the line a few minutes before entering. It's simply a walk-through and photos are allowed.

A rosary is offered at the grotto in the afternoon and transmitted on radio, TV, and the internet.

In the visions, Bernadette was told to drink at the spring and wash in the water. Although no spring was visible, Bernadette dug in the soil and revealed it, and the spring continues today to provide water for the nearby baths and fountains—thousands of gallons per day. In the cave, you can see the actual spring and the site where it was discovered.

The water is piped to the nearby baths and fountains. Visitors can bathe in the baths, and the fountains allow you to drink, wash, and fill plastic bottles of Lourdes water to take home.

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