Bernadetta Subirou is a popular Catholic saint who is known for claiming to have seen the mother of Jesus Christ. This statement was recognized by the Catholic Church as true. After that, Bernadette’s hometown, Lourdes, became a place of mass pilgrimage for Christians, it remains so until now.
Life story of a saint
Bernadette Subiroux was born in the small French town of Lourdes, located in the department of the Upper Pyrenees. The village, in which less than 15 thousand people live today, stands on the Gav de Po River. The heroine of our article was born in 1844.
Interestingly, at birth she was given the name Maria Bernard. Bernadette Subira began to be called much later. Five surviving children were brought up in the family, of which she was the oldest.
The girl’s father worked at the mill, and her mother worked as a laundress. The family lived on the verge of poverty, often there was not enough money for the necessities. Because of this, the children were sent to work as early as possible, so Bernadette Subira did not receive any education. She worked as a maid since 12 years.
Apparitions of the Virgin Mary
For the first time, the heroine of our article saw the Virgin Mary on February 11, 1858. At this time, in the vicinity of her hometown, she was collecting bones for an old woman and firewood. At this moment, she noticed that the grotto, located nearby, is illuminated by the light of unknown origin. A rosehip bush sways at the very entrance, as if from the wind. Inside the grotto was illuminated, and Bernadette, in her own words, saw something white, which at first moment reminded her of a young lady.
Over the next few months until July 16, Virgin Mary was the heroine of our article 17 more times. Bernadette always saw her in this very place. During 11 appearances, the figure did not utter a word, but then began to call for the repentance of sinners, and also ordered the construction of a chapel in this very place.
The girl repeatedly appealed to her with a request to give her name, to which, in the end, she declared: "I am the Immaculate Conception." These words perplexed the priest, to whom Bernadette told everything. He was convinced that an illiterate teenager, who knew little about the very foundations of faith, could not know about Dogmat, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of Jesus Christ. This fact was one of the few that spoke in favor of the truthfulness of the words of Bernadette.
Evidence
Of course, at first, Bernadette refused to believe. Then she, as the image had told her, in front of many witnesses began to drink muddy water in the corner of the grotto and eat grass. It was a symbol of repentance for all sinners. Soon after, a powerful spring with crystal water broke through in that very corner, which is still considered healing.
At the same time, for the first time all the testimonies of the heroine of our article about the appearance of the Virgin Mary were received with distrust. Difficulties arose also because no one, except the girl herself, had seen a wonderful image.
The priest and local authorities subjected her to constant interrogations, frightening her with a prison if everything she said turned out to be untrue. You have to publicly admit that all this is a lie. The local newspaper was also skeptical of Bernadette's words. Journalists believed that the girl who talks about miracles is prone to catalepsy and thus simply tries to excite the local population.
Occitan
Bernadette herself claimed that the image that appeared to her spoke in Occitan. This is the language of the indigenous people of the south of France, as well as several neighboring regions of Italy and Spain. Currently, approximately two million people use it in everyday life.
All this only increased the suspicions of others, as well as hostility and distrust of her words. The fact is that Occitan, in fact, was just a dialect. Therefore, in the eyes of educated people was the lot of the lower layers of the population.
Change of position of the church
Not immediately, but the attitude to what Bernadette says has begun to change over time. The first steps to this were taken by the church itself. In 1863, the heroine of our article was received by Bishop Forkad. He became one of the key figures in the recognition of the Lourdes phenomena, and over time he took monastic vows at Bernadette herself.
In the 60-70s of the XIX century, pilgrimages began to the holy spring and grotto in it, many wanted to visit these places.
After the official church recognized the girl was right, she was focused on her. She didn’t like it much. She repeatedly emphasized that she simply did not have any of her own merits in the fact that the Mother of God appeared to her.
Bernadette repeatedly insisted that she had no right to this mercy. At the same time, she compared herself to a stone that the Blessed Virgin picked up on the road. Moreover, she believed that they had chosen her precisely because of ignorance, and if they had found someone even more ignorant, they would have chosen him.
Monastic vow
In 1868, the heroine of our article took tonsure at a monastery on the territory of the Nevers. Monastic vows from her were taken by the very bishop of Forkad, who had his own parish in Nevers.
In the monastery, the girl lived the rest of her life, doing needlework and caring for the sick. In 1879, at the age of 35, she died of tuberculosis.
After death
After death, her body was exhumed three times. The procedure was first performed in 1909. To the surprise of many, the remains were untouched. This has become a strong fact in favor of its canonization, which has long been discussed.
In 1919, the body was exhumed for the second time, and already in 1925, the relics of Bernadette Subiru were transferred to the chapel in Nevers. They are located in a special container for storing valuable relics of sacred religious significance. The relics of St. Bernadette are placed in the reliquary.
Saints
In 1925, an official beatification ceremony took place. This is a rite of passage of the deceased to the blessed in the Catholic Church. At the end of 1933, official canonization took place. Since then, she has become Saint Bernadette Subirou.
After that, Memorial Day was established. It is celebrated on April 16, in addition, another day dedicated to it is separately celebrated in France - February 18.
Over time, the place where St. Bernadetta saw the Virgin became one of the key pilgrimage centers for Catholics around the world. About 5 million people visit it annually. According to the Catholic Church, in the first half century after the discovery of this holy place, four thousand people were completely cured. As a result, a sanctuary was erected in the vicinity of the grotto. This is a complex of religious buildings, which we will talk about in more detail later. The relics of the imperishable Bernadette Subiru are a popular pilgrimage site.
Mentions in the culture
For the first time in a famous work of art, the name of the heroine of our article was mentioned in 1942 in a novel by the Austrian writer Franz Werfel, which was called "Bernadette's Song".
A year later, the film of the same name by Henry King in the USA was shot on it. The main role in it was played by Jennifer Jones. In the 1943 film, Bernadette Subiru's miracle is described in full detail - a meeting with the Virgin.
American filmmakers decided to start producing the film after the wildly popular works of Werfel. The rights to film adaptation were acquired for 125 thousand dollars. About three hundred actresses claimed the main role in the film. Among them were such stars as Linda Darnell, Anne Baxter, Teresa Wright, Lillian Guiche, Mary Anderson. King was inclined to the candidacy of Darnell, but in the fall of 1942 he saw samples of the wife of producer David Selznik. The director was greatly intrigued by the young debutante, as a result, decided to take a chance, approving her for the main role. Darnell also got her role, represented in the image of the Virgin Mary.
Filming
Filming began in 1943. On the set, they organized the most ambitious scenery since the filming of Wallace Worsley’s dramatic horror film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. The scenery was built by about a hundred workers, 26 buildings were erected, one of the largest was the cathedral of the city of Lourdes, whose height was more than 70 feet. A 450-meter-high grotto decoration was arranged nearby.
The picture was presented in 12 nominations for the Oscar and was able to win four figurines. Jennifer Jones won an award for best role, Arthur Charles Miller won the best cameraman in black and white film, Alfred Newman was recognized as the best author of music, William Darling, James Bavesy and Thomas Little received the award for outstanding work of the art director. Another film won three Golden Globe awards. After the release of this picture, the photo of St. Bernadette became known to all Catholic pilgrims, after which many wished to personally visit holy places.
Lourdes - a place of pilgrimage for Catholics
After the Catholic Church recognized the occurrence of the 14-year-old Bernadette Virgin Mary, the city of Lourdes became known far beyond France. It is believed that a miracle happened in one of the caves in the vicinity of the city.
After careful checks of all the facts, the appearance of the Virgin Mary was officially recognized, and Lourdes quickly became one of the most visited and popular cities in Europe. Several million pilgrims come here every year, about 70 thousand people are looking for a cure for illnesses. Already in 1858 it was announced that seven thousand cases of inexplicable healing had become known. For 2013, only 69 were officially recognized as miraculous healings.
At the place where the mother of Jesus Christ first appeared before Bernadette, a sanctuary was built, called Notre Dame de Lourdes. The sanctuary was erected on a voluntary basis. A bridge called Saint-Michel leads to it, it is a kind of entrance to a religious institution in the open. The role of the nave in this case is performed by the Esplanade of processions, that is, a wide open space in front of the grotto itself. The Underground Bastille of St. Pius X was erected on the territory, in which up to 25 thousand believers can simultaneously be present. In the niche of the altar there is a statue of the Virgin Mary, which is considered the main shrine of this place.
The sanctuary is based on two basilicas. These are the neo-Gothic Upper Basilica and the Neo-Byzantine Rosary Basilica. From them, the pilgrims have the opportunity to go down to the Masabiel Grotto, where, it is believed, the Virgin Mary appeared.
Water from a source discovered in the cave of Bernadette is currently available to all comers. Photos of Bernadetta Subir are sold everywhere.