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PLACES OF WORSHIP WITHIN THE SANCTUARY THE GROTTO OF MASSABIELLE This small cave is at the very heart of Lourdes. This is the spot where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette eighteen times in 18581, a place where heaven and earth touched. Ever since that time it has been a place of pilgrimage, prayer and contemplation. In a niche above and to the right on the Grotto is a statue representing Our Lady of Lourdes. On the ground in front of the Grotto and slightly to the left is a plaque marking the spot where Bernadette knelt in prayer on the occasion of the first apparition. Benches often cover the plaque, so it is not always easy to find. Another plaque immediately in front of the Grotto shows where Pope John Paul II knelt in prayer on his visit to Lourdes. At the back of the Grotto, on the left, there is the spring discovered by Bernadette on 25th February 1858. This water is channelled to the Baths and the taps. Behind the altar, which is made of solid rock, at the back of the Grotto on the right, is a box for pilgrims’ petitions. Pilgrims move silently though the Grotto, usually entering from the left as we face it and departing to the right. Mass is celebrated in the Grotto each day (times and languages of the Masses are displayed in the Information Centre). The last Mass of the day is at 11.00pm and is usually in French. Many pilgrims like to visit the Grotto each day.
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The 18th apparition was experienced by Bernadette on the Prairie because the access to the Grotto was closed off by a barrier. 18
