What is Lourdes?
Q: What is Lourdes?
A: Lourdes is a town and commune in the southwest of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France.
Q: What was Lourdes originally like?
A: Lourdes was originally a small unremarkable market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, with its most prominent feature being a fortified castle which rises up from the centre of the town on a rock.
Q: When did it become a major place of Christian pilgrimage?
A: Following claims that there were apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, Lourdes has developed into a major place of Christian pilgrimage.
Q: How many people live in Lourdes today?
A: Today, Lourdes has a population of around 15,000 inhabitants.
Q: How many pilgrims and tourists visit each season?
A: Each season, Lourdes is able to take in some 5,000,000 pilgrims and tourists.
Q: How many hotels are there in Lourdes?
A: There are about 270 establishments (hotels) in Lourdes - making it second only to Paris for number of hotels.
Q: What is the diocese seat for Tarbes-et-Loudres?
A: The diocese seat for Tarbes-et-Loudres is located at joint seat at Loudres.
