Compléter Lourdes - Useful TermsVersion en ligne Key pilgrimage terms in context. par Simon Forrester 1 said cleansed forgive miraculous pilgrimage vision confess recognised spring faith illnesses hope grotto Sanctuary pilgrims blessings The site of Lourdes is near the Pyrenees mountains in France . Every year , it is visited by millions of , particularly Roman Catholics . They come to Lourdes to see the site of a famous experienced by a young girl called Bernadette Soubirous and to be healed by its supposedly waters . Bernadette Soubirous was born in 1844 to a poor miller . One day , while collecting firewood , Bernadette is to have seen Mary , the mother of Jesus , dressed in white with a blue sash and a yellow rose on each foot . Bernadette is said to have witnessed the same vision many times . During one vision , the figure of Mary asked Bernadette to drink at the beneath her feet . Even though this area was muddy , the next day , the ground flowed with clear water . Bernadette was then told to have a chapel built in the exact spot where the vision had taken place . Christian pilgrims now visit and pray in the of Our Lady of Lourdes and worship at the where the vision is said to have taken place . Pilgrims also take part in a Torchlight Marian Procession which takes place every evening before a service of mass takes place in the grotto . Pilgrims also their sins at the Reconciliation Chapel . Nature and importance Lourdes is considered a special place to visit because prayers and services are believed to bring real to the pilgrim . Pilgrims may visit to be of their sins and to be cured of their illnesses . It is believed that spring water from the grotto can heal people if they are sick . Millions of visitors come to Lourdes each year in the of being cured . The International Medical Committee of Lourdes began in 1947 and passes judgement on whether or not any of the healings that take place in Lourdes are miracles . By 2015 , 69 cases had been as miracles by the Roman Catholic Church . The opportunity to focus closely on their helps pilgrims feel secure in the knowledge that God will look after them , them for their sins and even cure them of their .