Lourdes
Lourdes
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Lourdes with the Sanctuary of Our Lady | |
Location of Lourdes | |
| Coordinates: 43°5′39″N 0°2′49″W / 43.09417°N 0.04694°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Hautes-Pyrénées |
| Arrondissement | Argelès-Gazost |
| Canton | Lourdes-1 and 2 |
| Intercommunality | CA Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Thierry Lavit |
Area 1 | 36.94 km2 (14.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | 13,266 |
| • Density | 360/km2 (930/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Lourdais |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 65286 /65100 |
| Elevation | 343–960 m (1,125–3,150 ft) |
| Website | lourdes.fr |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
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Lourdes (/lʊərd/, also US: /lʊərdz/, French: [luʁd] ⓘ; Occitan: Lorda [ˈluɾðɔ]) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a fortified castle that rises up from a rocky escarpment at its center.
In 1858, Lourdes rose to prominence in France and abroad due to the Marian apparitions to the peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous (later canonized a saint by the Catholic Church for her virtuous life). Shortly thereafter, the city and its Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes became among the world's most important sites for pilgrimage and religious tourism.