Duration
10–15 minutes
When
Open 24 hours, year-round
The miraculous spring discovered by Bernadette Soubirous on 25 February 1858 — when Our Lady told her to "drink at the spring and wash yourself there" — flows continuously at a rate of approximately 35,000 litres per day. A row of taps along the wall adjacent to the Grotto allows pilgrims to fill bottles, containers and canteens with this water at any hour of the day or night, free of charge and without limit. Approximately five million litres of Lourdes water are taken home by pilgrims every year. The water itself is chemically unremarkable — a standard French spring water — but its significance to pilgrims of faith is immeasurable.
The Discovery of the Spring
On the morning of the ninth apparition, 25 February 1858, the Lady told Bernadette to "go drink at the spring and wash there." Bernadette looked around, confused: there was no spring. She began to scrape at the muddy ground in the corner of the Grotto and, within moments, a trickle of water appeared. By the next day it had become a proper spring. Within weeks, pilgrims were attributing healings to the water. The Medical Bureau has since investigated thousands of claimed cures, confirming 70 as scientifically inexplicable.
Taking Water Home
Lourdes water is freely available to all visitors. Many pilgrims bring special bottles — plain plastic for daily use, or traditional blue Lourdes bottles in the shape of Our Lady available in all the religious shops in town. There is no restriction on the quantity you may take, and no charge. The water is used at home for prayer, blessing of the sick, anointing of the dying, and simply as a daily sacramental reminder of the pilgrimage.
Scientific Analysis
The water of the Lourdes spring has been repeatedly analysed by independent laboratories and found to be a clean, mineral-balanced spring water with no unusual properties. It contains no antibiotics, no unusual mineral concentrations, nothing that would explain the healings reported at Lourdes on a purely physical basis. The Church does not claim the water has intrinsic miraculous properties; rather, it is faith, intercession and grace that work through it. The spring is, however, strictly protected from contamination and regularly tested.
Practical Tips
- ✓The taps are immediately to the left as you approach the Grotto from the main Esplanade
- ✓Bring your own bottle; plain plastic bottles are perfect, or buy a traditional Lourdes bottle in town
- ✓The taps are open at night, a beautiful time to fill your bottle in the candlelit silence
- ✓If you wish to take larger quantities home, there are no restrictions on volume
Experience this on a guided pilgrimage
All our packages include participation in Lourdes' most important ceremonies with a dedicated English-speaking leader.
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