GROTTO OF MASSABIELLE, LOURDES: THE SPRING IN THE GROTTO

The Massabielle Grotto, Lourdes

On 25 February 1858, during the ninth apparition at the Grotto of Massabielle, the Virgin Mary told Bernadette Soubirous to go to the spring, drink and wash in it. At that instant, the spring did not exist. Unable to find the spring, Bernadette went to drink from the river nearby. She seemed to behave rather strangely that day as she crawled forwards and backwards into the cave, dug into the ground with her hands, tried to drink the muddy water of the spring and smeared her face with it. The crowd shouted and jeered at her. "The girl is mad," they said. According to Bernadette, "She told me to drink from the spring and wash myself in it. As I could not see anything, I went to drink at the nearby river. She then told me that it wasn't the place and pointing with her finger, she showed me where the spring was." That was how the story of the spring in the Grotto started.

The Spring in the Grotto

The first miraculous cures soon began to take place even while the apparitions were still going on. Those who were healed claimed that the water from the spring had healing properties. On the evening of 25 February 1858, Mr Louis Bouriette, a stonemason who has been blinded in his right eye by a stone splinter more than 20 years ago, washed his right eye a few times with the spring while praying to Our Lady. He regained his eyesight immediately and completely. On 28 February 1858, Mrs Blaisette Cazenave, who was suffering from a chronic infection of the eyes and was completely blind, was also completely healed when she bathed her eyes in the spring water for the second time. On 1 March 1858, Mrs Catherine Latapie, who was heavily pregnant, walked more than 4 miles from her home in Loubajac to the Grotto bringing her 2 children with her. She had dislocated her right arm and injured her hand when she fell from a tree 2 years ago and two fingers on her hand were paralyzed. Her hand was instantly healed when she bathed it in the miraculous spring water. During the first days of July 1858, Justin Bouhort's illness was becoming critical. This moribund terminally ill two-year-old boy was dunked in the icy cold spring water for a very long time by his mother, Croisine Bouhort. He recovered quickly, started to walk and was soon bursting with health. 

The spring in the Grotto has since become very popular because of the numerous miraculous healings associated with it. The good news is - the extraordinary healings in Lourdes have continued right up to this day. Although there are more than 8000 miraculous healing attributed to the Lourdes Shrine since 1858,  only 67 cases have been offcially approved by the Catholic Church as miraculous (as of 2007). 

Pilgrims waiting outside the Baths

The spring is now clearly visible on the left at the back of the grotto. It is covered with glass and illuminated so that the source of the spring can be seen clearly. The spring feeds the water taps on the left of the Grotto and the Baths on its right so that pilgrims can drink and wash themselves. There are 34 drinking taps and 17 baths, 6 for men and 11 for women. The Baths were built in 1955 and officially opened on 7 April 1955. Following Bernadette's example, millions of pilgrims, irrespective of whether they are sick or healthy, drink from the taps and / or immerse themselves in the Baths every year. However, none of them has ever contracted a disease. Immersion into the spring water sanctified by Our Lady is equivalent to the purification by water and and hence the renewal of baptism.

The spring water is not a magical liquid nor does it have any special curative or medicinal properties. It is just ordinary spring water but God has made use of this water as a healing instrument to indicate the realness of His presence in this place of holiness.

You may also like to read THE WONDERS OF LOURDES: 150 MIRACULOUS STORIES, BERNADETTE RECOUNTS HER APPARITIONS and THE MESSAGE OF LOURDES. To view the content page of this blog, please click here.

References:

1.  Bernadette Recounts Her Apparitions. Doucet Publications.

2.  Lourdes & Bernadette. Publisher "il Calamo".

3.  Lourdes. Doucet Publications.