6 Best Sights in Lourdes, The Basque Country, Gascony, and Hautes-Pyrenees

Lourdes wouldn't even be on the map if it weren't for this deep grotto near the Gave de Pau where 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous first claimed to see visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858. Church authorities initially reacted with skepticism: it took four years for the miracle to be authenticated by Rome and a sanctuary erected over the grotto. In 1864 the first organized procession was held, and now there are six official annual pilgrimages between Easter and All Saints' Day, the most important being on August 15. In fall and winter there are far fewer visitors—a plus for those seeking tranquility.

The château on the hill above town is reached from the ticket office via escalator or 131 steps. Once a prison, the castle now contains the Musée Pyrénéen, a provincial museum devoted to the popular customs, arts, and history of the Pyrénées. There are splendid views over the rooftops of Lourdes and the sanctuary area.

Lourdes celebrated the centenary of Bernadette Soubirous's visions by building the world's largest underground church, the Basilique Souterraine St-Pie X, with space for 20,000 people—more than the town's permanent population. The Basilique Supérieure (1871), tall and white, hulks nearby.

The cachot, a tiny room where, in extreme poverty, Bernadette and her family took refuge in 1856, can be visited.

Across the river is the Boly Mill, where Bernadette was born on January 7, 1844.

Bernadette’s life story is chronicled through mementos and more at the museum that bears her name; information about the construction of the nearby sanctuaries is also provided.