THE PETIT LOURDES MUSEUM

The Petit Lourdes Museum

Located at 68 Avenue Peyramale, 65100 Lourdes, the Musée du Petit Lourdes or Petit Lourdes Museum can be found at the end of rue Peyramale. To get there, visitors can take a short walk along the River Gave de Pau. However, I have never tried walking there before because I could easily take the Little Train of Lourdes which always stopped right in front of my hotel. Also known as the "Little Lourdes", it is virtually an open-air museum that is full of history and situated in a beautiful green valley. What makes it so interesting and lovable are its miniature reproductions of the major buildings found in Lourdes at the time of the apparitions. Here, visitors can get an idea of what the little town of Lourdes looked like back in 1858.

The miniature Castle of Lourdes can be seen in a prominent position on top of a rock. Visitors can also see the miniatures of Bartres, Peyramale's presbytery, the Cachot, the old bridge, the houses and mills, the old Parish Church, the grotto and practically everything about the old Lourdes. The present rue de la Grotte did not exist at that time. In its place was a stream known as the Lapacca which flowed into the River Gave de Pau. During those days, this river played an essential role in the lives of the inhabitants of Lourdes as its fast-flowing water could be used  to power the mills. Amongst these were the Boly Mill (where Bernadette was born) and the Lacade Mill, also known as Bernadette's father's house.

Overall, the Petit Lourdes Museum is a unique and beautiful miniature version of Lourdes that is really worth visiting especially for pilgrims who wish to go through the history of Lourdes. This model village has provided me with an excellent introduction to the history of Lourdes and the life of Bernadette. It looked very real to me - as though I have gone back in time and space to 19th Century Lourdes and living the real experience at the time of the apparitions. Taking a walk in Lourdes as it was in 1858 and admiring its old buildings, streets, rivers, and mills in a beautiful green valley was an extremely pleasant experience for me. I am sure that those who have been there would feel the same too. Below are some of the photos which I took in the museum during my visit to Lourdes.

The little village of Lourdes, lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, more than 150 years ago.

Lourdes in 1858

Bartres Village

The sheepfold of Bartres where Bernadette used to look after the sheep

The de Savy Mill

The Old Bridge (Le Pont-Vieux)

The Cachot

The Police Station and the Castle of Lourdes behind it

The post office

The Presbytery

The stream, the Lapacca

Ravielle Mill of Peyrouse

A communal wash-house

Rue du Bourg

Boly Mill - Bernadette's Birthplace

Chapel of Saint John the Baptist / Bain Mill

The fortified  Castle of Lourdes

Thanks for reading. You may also like to read The Museum of Lourdes if you want to know more about the numerous museums in Lourdes. To find out more about the best places to visit in Lourdes, please click here as there is a complete list of my articles about Lourdes on this page.