Go Lourdes:Wheelchairs are access all areas in Lourdes. Patsy McGarryjumps the queues on a pilgrimage there with his mother
IT IS probably the world’s best known and most visited Marian shrine. It is also a place which the Irish, in particular, visit in large numbers every year. But far and away the largest number of pilgrims – 60 per cent – come from Italy.
Next are the French, at 20 to 30 per cent, followed by the Irish at about 8 to 10 per cent and then the Spanish at about 5 per cent. The remainder come from Germany, Holland, the US and elsewhere.
Between five million and six million people visit Lourdes in an average year, a truly astonishing figure for a place with a population of 17,000 (even if it has 260 hotels – the largest number in any French city or town outside of Paris). They arrive in a season that lasts just seven months, from April to October.
There is something about Lourdes and it’s not just Mary. It is about hope and consolation, and the satisfaction the able-bodied get through helping to promote both.
It is also a place in which a wheelchair means “access all areas”. I was accompanied on the trip by my mother and we cheated a little. She can walk the walk but only so far.
WITH TWO ARTIFICIALhips and one artificial knee, getting around can be a struggle. And we weren't very long in Lourdes before we realised the added benefits of having a wheelchair.
We acquired one and so she had pride of place before the front pews in the Rosary Basilica at an early morning Mass for the anointing of the sick. It also meant she could skip the long queues at the grotto and get direct access there without any delay – as I, her pusher, did too.
The wheelchair was a real boon when it came to the baths. Others in our party had queued there for a fairly lengthy period before it transpired that the baths were booked out for the afternoon.
Some time later we arrived on the scene, me pushing my mother, and went directly to the separate wheelchair entrance where we had immediate access to the baths.
I waited to one side as my charge was taken into the women’s area where, as she recalled later, she was wrapped in a large sheet-like garment by two strong lumps of agricultural French women who expertly and discreetly removed her clothing beneath.
SHE WAS THENwrapped in a second, very wet sheet, presumably to get her used to the coolness of the waters, and was then gradually encouraged into a large, sunken, bath-like "pool".
There she was submerged to her shoulders as she walked to a small statue of the Virgin Mary on the other side.
She was then helped out, unwrapped and re-dressed, the waters drying into her. No one is dried off at the baths but all who submerged themselves in the waters marvelled at how quickly they dried without any towelling.
Probably one of the more spectacular events you can witness on a visit to Lourdes is the nightly torchlight procession. It begins at 9pm and the sight of those thousands, each carrying a lit candle, singing and praying as they follow a route which ends at Rosary Square opposite the Basilica of the same name, is biblical in proportions.
If you are not taking part, the best place to see it is from the balcony above the Rosary Basilica which, to my regret, I found had wheelchair access.
Much pushing and puffing later it was soon apparent the effort was worth it for the remarkable view.
On that balcony, we were up close and almost personal with the enormous crown and cross which tops the Basilica’s dome – presented by the Irish people to Lourdes in 1921.
One of the most moving experiences for many pilgrims to Lourdes has to be the tour of places in the town associated with St Bernadette. For those pushing wheelchairs, or other such vehicles, this can be a bit of a trial as the streets are steep and narrow. But where there’s a will there’s a way, and generally it was up.
The tour brings pilgrims first to the Boly Mill where Bernadette Soubirous lived. Born in the mill on January 7th 1844, she was the eldest of her parents’ four surviving children.
In 1854, the Soubirous family had to move as they could no longer afford the rent. Famine struck that part of France in 1856 and her father, François, went bankrupt. Her mother Louise had to go out to work and Bernadette herself was a waitress for a time at a local inn. She received little or no formal education.
In November 1857 Bernadette was sent to work as a maid on a farm outside Lourdes, returning in January 1858. It was during the following month she saw the first of 18 apparitions.
IN THE ENSUINGfuss Bernadette went to live at the local hospice run by the Sisters of Charity, where she learned to read and write. Then she moved to their convent at Nevers in central France where she died at the age of 35 in 1879.
That poor, sickly, uneducated young woman was canonised in December 1933 and has been known since as the patron saint of the sick, the poor, and the family.
The “Bernadette tour” of Lourdes is evocative of her simple spirit and spare life. And her story is the story of Lourdes.
Patsy McGarry traveled to Lourdes with Joe Walsh Tours. Joe Walsh has been organizing pilgrimages to Lourdes since 1961. Short breaks start at €399 for 3 nights and weeklong programs start at €699 including full religious programme, as well as taxes & charges. For more information visit or call: www.joewalshtours.ie, tel 01-2410800.
Where to stay and eat
Places to stay
Most people who go to Lourdes do so as part of a diocesan or parish pilgrimage, in which case accommodation is pre-arranged. But there is nothing to stop individuals or groups going there and the three hotels below are among the most popular with Irish.
Grand Hotel Gallia Lourdes Londres, 26 Ave Bernadette Soubirous, 0033 562 943544, hotelvinuales.com
One of a few four star hotels in the city (most hotels are three star and less). It has a fine olde-worlde atmosphere. The rooms are comfortable and food and wine are good. The bar area can be quiet. Most guests tend to be Italian but some Irish stay there too. It is central and close to the grotto and Rosary Square.
La Solitude, 3 Passage St-Louis Ave Bernadette Soubirous, 0033 562 427171, hotelvinuales.com
This is probably one of the least accurately named hotels in Lourdes. A pleasant, bright and comfortable three star, which is also close to the sanctuary, it is a favourite with the Irish and all that entails – particularly craic. There was one almighty get-together the night we were there, with a Cork baritone in fine fettle as he sang The Boys of Barr na Sráide. That morning he had been on the altar singing at a Mass. Not to be outdone other men and woman in that large group sang their party pieces. Eventually even the young French bar staff joined in. That's Lourdes for you – a place where the sacred and profane go hand in hand.
Agena Hotel, 3 rue Marie Sainte Frai, 0033 562 940364, hotelagena.com
This is another favourite with the Irish and it too is close to the holy places that pilgrims visit. It is Irish owned and some staff are Irish. Rooms are bright and clean. Food is good – beginning with a buffet in the morning, as in the other Lourdes hotels.
Places to eat
The average visit to Lourdes lasts three days and people tend to eat at their hotel. But maybe because of the greater distance travelled, Irish pilgrims stay an average of five days which allows for culinary exploration, ie, eating out.
Le Magret, 10 rue des Quatre Freres Soulas, 0033 562 942055, lemagret.com
It has been mentioned in Michelin guides. One long-stay Irish local described it as “the best restaurant in Lourdes”. Food is good and service is friendly. Booking is recommended. Cuisine is “de France’’.
Café Leffe, 16 Place du Marcadal, 0033 562 463448
This is an attractive brasserie and bar where you can sit out in the sun and sip drinks as the world walks by.
Pizza da Marco, 47 rue de la Grotte, 0033 562 940359
The pizzas are gorgeous, which accounts for its local popularity.