Drinking and washing are the two actions that pilgrims make in Lourdes, at the invitation of the Virgin Mary.
This process began just after 25th February 1858, the day the Virgin Mary showed Saint Bernadette where to dig to find the spring.
It is at this spring, which flows at the base of the Grotto, that Our Lady of Lourdes invites us to come and “drink and wash ourselves.”

THE WATER GESTURE AT THE BATHS
– Members of the Hospitality are ready to welcome you at the Baths and to guide you through the “water gesture”, which can be done alone, in a group, as a couple, as a family, with friends… as a Church group.
– You can also take the personal step of drinking and washing your face with the spring water that flows from the eighteen drinking fountains next to the Grotto. The number eighteen reminds us of the number of apparitions.

BATHING AT THE BATHS
Since 15th July 2024, we have been able to respond more easily to pilgrims’ requests to be immersed in the water of the Grotto.
With the invaluable dedication of the Hospitality of Our Lady of Lourdes, we look forward to warmly welcoming you; we recognise how much hopes are raised through the opportunity of bathing in the Sanctuary’s Baths.
At the same time, we are inviting more and more pilgrims, both sick and able-bodied, to experience the water gesture, a wonderful initiative that enables a large number of people to honour the request of the Immaculate Virgin.

You can collect Lourdes water to take home with you, either for yourself or your loved ones, from the taps by the arches.

Although some people have been cured after using the water from the Grotto, scientific analyses have not found it to contain any special properties. As Saint Bernadette said, “Just one drop is enough! It’s faith that’s needed!” You can ask a priest to bless the water for you.