It took me longer than three Our Fathers to realize that Saint Bernadette is the central figure of the Marian apparitions in Lourdes. Lourdes, the famous pilgrimage site in the south of France, is known to almost everyone – believer or not. After Paris, no other city in France records more overnight stays by tourists. Nevers, a small town in Burgundy with a ducal palace, beautiful old town and several museums, proudly calls itself the City of Art and History. In the pilgrimage community, it is considered an insider tip: a destination for advanced travelers, far from the crowds, in search of spirituality. Nowhere else can you get as close to Bernadette Soubirous as here. Susanne Lotter from the Order of the Sisters of Nevers guides visitors to the most important places.
One hundred years of bliss
2025 marks the centenary of the beatification of Bernadette Soubirous. Nevers is celebrating with masses, guided tours, a play and a replica of the Grotte Massabielle from Lourdes, which offers plenty of space for pilgrims. Bernadette Soubirous, born on January 7, 1844 in Lourdes, was the eldest of nine children in a family of millers. Her childhood was characterized by poverty, illness and social decline. After losing the family mill, she lived with her family in the former town prison of Lourdes. Despite these difficult circumstances, she developed a deep piety.
Between February 11 and July 16, 1858, Bernadette saw a lady in a white robe 18 times in the grotto of Massabielle. This woman, later recognized as the Virgin Mary, introduced herself in the official narrative of the Catholic Church with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception”. Sister Susanne describes the first meeting between Mary and Bernadette as approachable and friendly, understandable even for a girl from the lower classes. The lady asked the young miller girl: “Will you do me the favor of coming here in the coming days?” At a later meeting, Bernadette discovered a spring on the instructions of the apparition, whose water soon became known for many healings. The reports of the apparitions attracted numerous pilgrims, made Lourdes an important place of pilgrimage and led to hostility towards Bernadette. Bernadette met the Sisters of Nevers at the hospice in Lourdes in 1866 and decided to follow them to Nevers.
Nun in sneakers
Almost 160 years after Bernadette Soubirous’ arrival in Nevers, Sister Susanne tells the story of the saint in an accessible way. Susanne Lotter, as she is known, comes from Germany. Wearing jeans and sneakers instead of traditional religious attire, she guides pilgrims and visitors through the Saint-Gildard convent in Nevers, where Bernadette spent her last years. Only four of the 150 Sisters of Charity live in Nevers. They don’t wear the habit because it creates distance, explains Susanne Lotter.
Convent life then and now
Sister Susanne eloquently recounts the life of the saint and makes Bernadette’s message of humility, faith and devotion tangible for today’s pilgrims. She mediates perfectly between past and present by weaving Bernadette’s quotes into her descriptions of everyday life in the convent with great gestures. The color of her functional jacket seems almost random, as it is reminiscent of the turquoise blue of many statues of the Virgin Mary.
The tour of Saint-Gildard Monastery follows a clear dramaturgy. It begins in the monastery garden and leads into a side wing of the building. There we learn of the arrival of 22-year-old Bernadette. She had come to the convent to care for the sick and find inner peace. Eight years after the Marian apparitions in Lourdes, she was tired of recounting the events over and over again. Only once more was she to speak about it to the sisters in the great hall of the convent. Bishops and even cardinals came for the occasion. Sister Susanne reported that a bishop had deliberately dropped his cap in order to touch Bernadette’s dress when he picked it up. Little Bernadette was undoubtedly a star of her time.
Further stops on the tour include the monastery garden and the former infirmary. Bernadette, who had come to care for the sick, was usually ill herself. The small woman, only 1.44 meters tall, suffered from bone cancer at an early age. She died at the age of 35 in Easter week 1879 and was buried in a small chapel. A discovery during the exhumation of her body in 1925 spurred on her canonization: the body was almost intact. Believers and the Catholic Church saw this as a miracle and a sign of her closeness to God. However, doctors present attributed the good condition to the airtight lead coffin, which had delayed decomposition.
One hundred years ago, the miracle of integrity also enhanced Nevers as a place of pilgrimage. The exhibition of Bernadette Soubirous’ body in a glass coffin began with her beatification in 1925. Sister Susanne ends her tour at this point. To make the body more appealing to pilgrims, the face and hands were covered with wax. Photography is prohibited. Bernadette’s personal belongings are on display in the small museum, including the clothes she is said to have worn when she arrived in Nevers. For the 2025 jubilee, the grotto in Lourdes was recreated and a play was written. Sister Susanne is expecting many pilgrims in the jubilee year. Normally 200,000 come every year, while Lourdes attracts millions. The convent of the Sisters of Mercy of Nevers is prepared for more pilgrims. It is probably a dress rehearsal for the year 2033, as Pope Pius XI canonized Bernadette Soubirous just eight years after her beatification. Pilgrims can stay overnight in the convent, eat and take part in masses, readings and guided tours.
The press trip was supported by Burgundy Tourism.
