Her fame began at age 14 in Lourdes, with a series of sightings of a young woman taken to be Virgin Mary, now known as Our Lady of Lourdes. She was placed in a chapel in the Church of St. Gildard at the convent in Nevers where she lived for thirteen years. The miraculous healings began in Bernadette’s lifetime and were credited to the spring water. It should be noted that after the first exhumation a whopping 30 years after her death she was largely intact. Ten years of happiness in the decisive early years of her childhood made her strong and surprisingly balanced. This tiny spring continued to well up and by the next day was flowing steadily down into the river: to this day it has never ceased to gush forth from the grotto. Often the most difficult question to answer: Did Bernadette spend the remainder of her life in Lourdes or elsewhere? As soon as the news spread, people came streaming towards the convent, chanting, "The saint is dead! She died on April 16, 1879. She spent most of her time in deep prayers and penance. Her strength was ebbing away, but even when she was confined to wheel chair or bed, she went on with the fine needlework. At this time the Massabeille had, if not exactly an aura of evil, a touch of the sinister. The woman now had a large family and little Bernadette made herself useful in the house and in the fields. The little nun said, "Just watch that doorway and presently you will see her go through." … As a toddler, Bernadette contracted cholera and suffered extreme asthma. When being considered for canonization thirty years later, her coffin was exhumed. Inside they found her rosary had rusted and her habit had frayed, but her body was completely incorrupt. Then she died at 3:15 PM. Bernarde Casterot was her godmother. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our cookie policy. The saint is dead!" Saint Bernadette Soubirous Story and Her Life of Hardship and Sacrifice . Had Bernadette been left alone, she may have still been “incorrupt.”. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. One of her duties was to tend a small flock of sheep that grazed on a hillside nearby; it is this brief phase of her girlhood that has inspired artists to picture her as a shepherdess. Thus Bernadette at last began her secular education, and, under Abbe Pomian, continued to prepare for First Communion. Her eyes were blue and gentle. Bernadette of Lourdes: her life, death and visions 30 November, 1999 . Bernadette's body was placed in a casket which was sealed, then buried near the chapel of St. Joseph in the convent grounds. At baptism she was given the name Marie-Bernard, but since early childhood everyone called her “Bernadette.” Her father, Francisco was an honest man, but not very capable in … Visitors should remember that this is an active chapel, and a holy place for many. On February 26, while she was in the trance-like state which lasted as long as she saw the vision, Bernadette crawled inside the grotto, and, at the Lady's bidding, uncovered with her bare hands a little trickle of water from which she drank and with which she bathed her face, still at the Lady's direction. She grew up in poverty, plagued by illness and suffering. The relics of dozens of martyrs are stored in a single chapel. Bernadette had no thought but to obey, in spite of the open hostility of the cure of Lourdes. At twenty-two, therefore, she traveled to the motherhouse of the convent. She was born in 1844 and died in 1879. The accounts of what she had seen and heard, which she was obliged to repeat so often, never varied in any significant detail. Unfortunately, she lived the rest of her life in poor health. She explains who Bernadette was, and how she lived and died, but takes no position on whether or not her visions were genuine. During these two weeks the excitement increased to such a pitch that the civil authorities felt obliged to take action. On the side facing the river it had an arch-shaped opening which led into a sizeable grotto-a grotto that was soon destined to become famous in every part of the world. Her father was a miller, but having fallen on hard times, the family lost their mill and t… Her body was in a remarkable state of preservation; a natural mummification. Born in Lourdes, France, on January 7, 1844, Bernadette was the first child of Francois and Louise Soubirous. According to legend, it had been sacred to the pagans of prehistoric times; now it served as a shelter for fishermen or herdsmen caught by sudden storms. Visit to the spring water feast day of April 16 in 1927 must carry an! Single chapel in her own words ” despite her continued ill health, Bernadette finally succumbed to ill. Receiving between four and six million visitors annually excitement increased to such a that. 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