Soubirous

Soubirous typically refers to Bernadette Soubirous, a French Catholic mystic and saint who became famous for her Marian visions in 1858 at Lourdes, France. Born on January 7, 1844 in Lourdes to a poor family, she led a quiet life until the events at the Massabielle Grotto began on February 11, 1858. Bernadette reported seeing a woman dressed in white who identified herself as the Immaculate Conception. The visions continued on multiple occasions through July 16, 1858, and the messages emphasized prayer, penance, and the rosary, including a request to have a chapel built at the grotto and to bless a spring.

Following the apparitions, Lourdes became a major pilgrimage site. The Catholic Church conducted investigations, and in 1862 the local bishop declared the Marian visions worthy of belief; the Holy See later confirmed this position. The grotto and its spring became associated with healing, drawing thousands of pilgrims who seek physical or spiritual relief.

In 1866 Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, taking the religious name Sister Marie-Bernard, and spent the remainder of her life in the order. She died in Nevers on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35. Bernadette Soubirous was beatified in 1925 and canonized as a saint in 1933 by Pope Pius XI. She is the patron saint of Lourdes, and her Feast Day is celebrated on April 16.