Friday, 12 November 2021

Another Lourdes Grotto

Another local 19th century Lourdes grotto ticked off the list. Only 763 to go, and that's just in France. Most of them date from almost immediately after the original was created in 1860 to the beginning of the First World War in 1914.

Lourdes grotto, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

This one is behind the church in Yzeures sur Creuse. It was blessed in 1887.

8 comments:

chm said...

I wonder if she has a secretary to keep track of the guérisons miraculeuses she performs in the original grotto and the facsimile?

Carolyn said...

We came across one of these in a low cliff, right along the chemin de halage of the Mayenne river, around Lion d'Angers IIRC. We mentioned it to our B&B hostess and she told us there were a lot of them. I thought she meant a few dozen, but wow, 764?

Susan said...

Carolyn: 765 actually.

Susan said...

chm: I imagine so. Probably lives in the grand Renaissance style presbytry next door.

bonnie groves poppe said...

I remember my aunt taking me to a film about Bernadette when I was 7 or 8 years old. All I remember is how boring it was. Interesting how this cult has grown up around a delusional teenager.
bonnie in provence

Susan said...

bonnie groves poppe: LOL. We were discussing why it made such an impact the other day, and couldn't really pin point anything except the general religious revival in the 19C in France. But there are dozens of these shrines, even though not all of them are faithful reproductions like this one. Almost every village around here has a grotto or shrine to Mary which dates from this period.

bonnie groves poppe said...

I agree about the only explanation being the rise of religious fervor in the latter half of the 19th century. That's where Sacre Coeur comes from also.
bonnie

Susan said...

bonnie groves poppe: Indeed, producing hideous and pretentious edifices like the one in Montmartre.

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