Lourdes in Pictures: 52 Free Photos of the Sanctuary and the Town
Lourdes in 52 free photos. The small town at the foot of the Pyrenees became one of the great pilgrimage sites of the world after 1858, when a local girl, Bernadette Soubirous, said the Virgin Mary had appeared to her in a grotto by the river.
Lourdes at a glance
- Where: in the Hautes-Pyrénées in south-west France, on the Gave de Pau river.
- Getting there: Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées airport is 10 km away; TGV trains run from Paris, and regional trains from Toulouse, Pau and Bordeaux.
- When to go: from April to October, when the torchlight procession is held every evening.
How to download: click a photo to see it large, then use Download. The originals are about 1200 × 800 pixels: right for blog posts, slides, social media, school projects and video call backgrounds.
The sanctuary
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes spreads along the river below the town. The Grotto of Massabielle, where pilgrims light candles and fill bottles with spring water, lies beneath the rock on which the neo-Gothic Upper Basilica was built in the 1870s; below it stands the Rosary Basilica with its golden mosaics and curving ramps, and in front of both the long esplanade with the crowned Virgin. Millions of visitors come every year, many of them sick or disabled, with groups from every country.
The town
Lourdes has more hotels than any French city outside Paris, lined up along the Gave de Pau with the green Pyrenean hills behind, and streets of shops selling candles, rosaries and souvenirs. The castle on its rock above the town houses a museum of Pyrenean life.
More free photos
Questions about these photos
Can I use these Lourdes pictures for free?
Yes, for personal and commercial projects. All we ask is a link back to BigFoto.com; the box at the top of the page has a credit link you can copy.
Is entry to the sanctuary of Lourdes free?
Yes. The sanctuary, the grotto and the basilicas are free to enter, and the daily processions are open to everyone.
