The world's most visited religious shrine as seen by a debonair
conservative Catholic: a witty, informative, and opinionated
private tour. Yes, Lourdes is #1. It regularly draws over 4,000,000
pilgrims a year, almost three times as many as Mecca. But then one
doesn't go to Mecca hoping to be cured of Hodgkin's disease or
multiple sclerosis. Actually the Church has given official
recognition to only 64 Lourdes miracles in the 123 years since a
teenage girl named Bernadette Soubirous had her vision of the
"Immaculate Conception" in a grotto near the little town in the
Pyrenees. But the Church has very stringent standards, and some
people, like Marnham, think the real number of "miraculees" (his
term) is much higher. Marnham makes no bones about blasting the
crass commercialism that reigns all around the shrine, from the
hideous souvenir shops to the dismal overcrowded hotels. He seems,
in fact, to take a positive delight in describing, for instance,
the inane "reconsecration ceremony" held when a Dublin travel agent
buys a hotel from a distinguished pair of Lourdais (who look on
with "granite features faintly illuminated by an expression of
decorous rapacity"). But though Mammon may have Lourdes in its
frigid grip, it can't stifle the pilgrims' simple faith. This
faith, Marnham argues, views sickness honestly and realistically -
unlike secular society, which tries to minimize the agonies of life
or sweep them under the rug. The pilgrims generally don't expect a
cure (most of them aren't even sick); they're simply responding to
the (well-documented if ultimately mysterious) powers working at
Lourdes. Fine, but suppose we accept all of Marnham's highly
interesting evidence at face value, what then? What exactly does
Lourdes prove? Marnham doesn't answer that one, but he does shed
light on every conceivable aspect of the Lourdes phenomenon.
(Kirkus Reviews)
The most popular pilgrimage site in the world
That is Lourdes, a small town in the French Pyrenees, where in 1858
Our Lady appeared to the young peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous.
Curiosity and fascination grew steadily, a shrine was erected at
the grotto where Bernadette experienced these visions, and Lourdes
became a worldwide attraction. Today, more than 4 million people
visit the shrine each year. Many come out of desperate hope; and
countless "miracles" and healings have been claimed by visitors
during the past century.
What is behind the phenomenal growth of Lourdes? Who are the
pilgrims who visit Lourdes in such record numbers? What really
happens there? Patrick Marnham had asked himself these very
questions many times. Finally, in search of some answers, he joined
a pilgrimage from England to Lourdes and his revelations are at
once astounding and absorbing. LOURDES: A MODERN PILGRIMAGE is an
objective account -- based on his own experience -- of both sides
of Lourdes: the town of high prices and low commercialism; and the
other Lourdes, the domain of Our Lady, where the tourist industry
gives way to Christian prayer and fellowship. He tells what it is
like to go on a pilgrimage and how the famous miracle cures and
authenticated. He sees both horrors and wonders there, as well as
mysteries of faith at work in an age of doubt.
For anyone who has been there, or for anyone planning to travel
there someday, this book offers a fascinating overview of the
paradox that is Lourdes.
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