What happened?
Lourdes is experiencing a surge in visitors, helped by a successful film about the pilgrimage site.
According to the Times, 27,000 pilgrims were expected to celebrate the feast of the Assumption in Lourdes, and 1.2 million in total in 2019 – a 15 per cent rise on last year. 2019 marks the 175th anniversary of St Bernadette’s birth.
Why was it under-reported?
The story is, perhaps, too French for international media to understand – especially in Protestant cultures where the deep appeal of pilgrimage has been forgotten. France appears to be remembering its heritage: Lourdes, a documentary about the site, has unexpectedly attracted around 220,000 cinema-goers – including agnostics and atheists.
