The 18 Apparitions of Lourdes: A Complete Guide

Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared eighteen times to a fourteen-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous in a grotto near the town of Lourdes, in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. These apparitions would transform Lourdes from a small, unremarkable market town into one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world.

The Setting: Lourdes in 1858

To understand the apparitions, we must first understand the world in which they occurred. Lourdes in 1858 was a poor town of roughly 4,000 inhabitants. The Soubirous family was among the poorest — they lived in a former jail cell called the cachot, and Bernadette, the eldest of six children, suffered from chronic asthma, likely a result of cholera she contracted as an infant.

Bernadette was uneducated and had not yet made her First Communion. She could barely read and spoke primarily in the local Gascon dialect. By every worldly measure, she was the least likely person to receive a divine message. Yet this is precisely the point the Church has always emphasized: God chose the humble to confound the wise.

The First Apparition: February 11, 1858

On a cold Thursday morning, Bernadette went with her sister Toinette and a friend to gather firewood near the Grotto of Massabielle along the Gave de Pau river. As she removed her stockings to wade across a shallow stream, she heard a rushing wind, though the trees around her were still.

Looking up at a natural niche in the rock, she saw a golden light and, within it, a young Lady dressed in white with a blue sash, a white veil, and a golden rose on each foot. The Lady held a rosary with white beads and a gold chain. She smiled at Bernadette and made the sign of the cross.

Bernadette instinctively reached for her own rosary and tried to make the sign of the cross, but her hand trembled. The Lady made the sign again, and this time Bernadette was able to follow. They prayed the Rosary together — the Lady passing the beads through her fingers during the Hail Marys but only joining in the Glory Be and the Our Father.

Explore each apparition in detail with our Apparitions Timeline, which presents all 18 apparitions with historical context and significance.

The Early Apparitions: February 14–21

Second Apparition (February 14): Bernadette returned to the Grotto with friends and sprinkled holy water toward the vision, a test suggested by her mother. The Lady smiled. Bernadette fell into ecstasy and had to be carried home.

Third Apparition (February 18): A local woman named Madame Milhet accompanied Bernadette and brought paper and pen, asking the Lady to write her name. The Lady spoke for the first time: "It is not necessary." She then asked Bernadette: "Would you be so kind as to come here for fifteen days?" Bernadette agreed. The Lady added, "I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next."

Fourth through Eighth Apparitions (February 19–24): Crowds began to gather. During these visits, the Lady taught Bernadette a personal prayer (which Bernadette never revealed to anyone) and asked her to pray for sinners. The message of penance began to emerge.

The Turning Point: February 25

Ninth Apparition (February 25): This was perhaps the most dramatic apparition. Before a crowd of over 300 people, the Lady instructed Bernadette: "Go, drink at the spring and wash yourself there." There was no visible spring. Bernadette looked confused, then began digging in the muddy ground with her hands. The crowd watched in bewilderment as she drank muddy water and smeared her face with it. Many thought she had gone mad.

But within hours, a trickle of clear water began to flow from the spot where Bernadette had dug. Within days, it became a steady stream. Today, the spring produces over 32,000 gallons of water per week, and it has been associated with countless healings.

The Message: Penance and Prayer

Tenth and Eleventh Apparitions (February 27–28): The Lady repeated her call for penance. She asked Bernadette to kiss the ground as a penance for sinners, to crawl on her knees to the back of the Grotto, and to eat bitter herbs growing at the entrance. These actions of humiliation and penance were deeply meaningful in the spiritual tradition of the Church.

Twelfth Apparition (March 1): Over 1,500 people gathered. A local priest, Father Dézirat, was among them. He was deeply moved by Bernadette's composure during the ecstasy.

Thirteenth Apparition (March 2): The Lady gave Bernadette a message for the priests: "Go, tell the priests that people are to come here in procession and to build a chapel here." Bernadette relayed this to the parish priest, Father Peyramale, who was initially skeptical and demanded a sign — that the wild rosebush at the Grotto bloom in winter.

The Revelation: March 25, 1858

Sixteenth Apparition (March 25): This was the Feast of the Annunciation, and it would prove to be the most theologically significant of all the apparitions. Bernadette asked the Lady three times to reveal her name. The Lady extended her hands toward the ground, then joined them at her breast, looked up to heaven, and said in the local dialect:

"Que soy era Immaculada Councepciou" — "I am the Immaculate Conception."

Bernadette did not understand the phrase. She repeated it over and over to herself as she ran to tell Father Peyramale. The priest was stunned — the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception had been defined by Pope Pius IX only four years earlier, in 1854, and there was no way an uneducated peasant girl could have known the theological term.

This single statement became the most powerful evidence for the authenticity of the apparitions.

The Final Apparitions

Seventeenth Apparition (April 7): During this apparition, Bernadette held a lit candle. The flame touched her hand for several minutes, but she felt no pain and showed no burn. A doctor present examined her hand afterward and confirmed there was no injury. When she came out of the ecstasy, a match held to her hand caused her to pull away immediately.

Eighteenth and Final Apparition (July 16): The municipal authorities had barricaded the Grotto, but Bernadette felt drawn to pray across the river. She later said the Lady appeared to her from beyond the barricade, and that she had never seen her so beautiful. It was the last time she would see the Lady at Lourdes.

The Investigation and Approval

Bishop Bertrand-Sévère Laurence of Tarbes established an episcopal commission in 1858 to investigate the apparitions. After four years of rigorous inquiry — interviewing Bernadette multiple times, examining the spring water, and evaluating reported healings — the bishop issued a pastoral letter on January 18, 1862, declaring:

"The Immaculate Mary, Mother of God, did indeed appear to Bernadette Soubirous."

The apparitions of Lourdes are among the most well-documented and thoroughly investigated Marian apparitions in the history of the Church.

Learn about the miraculous healings associated with Lourdes through our Miracles Explorer, which catalogs the 70 officially recognized cures.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people witnessed the apparitions?

Only Bernadette could see and hear the Lady. However, the crowds who gathered — sometimes numbering over 8,000 — could observe Bernadette in ecstasy and witnessed phenomena like the candle flame that did not burn her.

Why did Our Lady appear at Lourdes?

The central messages of Lourdes were prayer, penance, and the call to conversion. Our Lady also revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, confirming the recently defined dogma, and directed the discovery of the miraculous spring.

How long did the apparitions last?

The 18 apparitions occurred over a period of about five months, from February 11 to July 16, 1858. Most were concentrated in a three-week period in February and March.

Are the Lourdes apparitions officially approved by the Church?

Yes. Bishop Laurence of Tarbes officially approved the apparitions on January 18, 1862, after a four-year investigation.

Explore the Apparitions

The story of the 18 apparitions is a profound testimony of faith, humility, and divine grace. Whether you are learning about Lourdes for the first time or deepening your existing knowledge, we invite you to explore each apparition in detail through our Interactive Apparitions Timeline.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us. Saint Bernadette, pray for us.