Today was a transit day for us. To get to Nevers we had to take the train from Lisieux to Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris. From that station we took the metro 6 stops to Gare Paris Bercy Bourgone. Once we boarded the train in Paris, it was a two-hour ride to Nevers.
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| Leaving Lisieux |
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The only way to navigate
the Metro |
When we arrived in Nevers and exited the train station, we were happy to see that our hotel was right across the street. After our ground transportation issues in Lisieux, this was a welcome sight. We got our room key, dropped our bags off in our air-conditioned room, and headed up the hill to the Saint Gildard Convent of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. This was the convent where Bernadette Soubirous lived and died after the apparitions in Lourdes.
The apparitions at Lourdes, France, are among the most famous Marian apparitions in Catholic history. They occurred in 1858, when 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, a poor miller’s daughter, experienced a series of visions of the Virgin Mary.
Key Events:
First apparition: On February 11, 1858, while gathering firewood near the Grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette saw a “lady dressed in white” who smiled at her but said nothing.
Over the next five months, Bernadette reported 18 apparitions in total.
During the ninth apparition, the lady instructed her to drink from a spring that miraculously appeared in the grotto.
On March 25, the lady revealed her identity as "I am the Immaculate Conception," confirming the dogma proclaimed by the Church in 1854.
Many miracles, especially healings, were reported at the spring water.
Aftermath:
The Church conducted a thorough investigation and declared the apparitions worthy of belief in 1862.
Lourdes became a major pilgrimage site, with millions visiting annually.
A large basilica and other shrines have since been built around the grotto.
Lourdes remains a powerful symbol of faith, healing, and the compassion of Mary, particularly for the sick and suffering.
In the museum on the grounds were some of Bernadette's writings. I did not take a photo of this one, so I might not have it exactly correct. When asked why the Blessed Mother would appear to someone as uneducated and ignorant, Bernadette said, "If God could have found someone more ignorant than me, I suppose he would have chosen her instead." When you read the lives of the Saints, one of the consistent threads between all of them is humility. Another thread between many of the saints is that they died at a young age. In Scripture you read, "But the righteous man, though he die early, will be at rest. For old age is not honored for length of time, nor measured by number of years, but understanding is gray hair for men, and a blameless life is ripe old age. There was one who pleased God and was loved by him, and while living amongst sinners he was taken up. He was caught up lest evil change his understanding or guile deceive his soul. Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord, therefore he took him quickly from the midst of wickedness." Wisdom 4:7-14
I first heard that Scripture in 2016 from my pastor, Fr. Robert Rankin. I had just told him Theresa was stopping all treatment and entering into hospice. In the context of that conversation he said, "God gives each of us enough time and years to prepare ourselves. Some of us need many years, while others need fewer years." As I looked up the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette, that conversation came to to forefront of my mind.
After the apparitions at Lourdes, St. Bernadette Soubirous chose a life of humility and service far from the public eye. She entered religious life and spent her remaining years in the town of Nevers, France.
Entrance to the Convent:
In July 1866, at the age of 22, Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, a religious order known for caring for the sick and educating the poor.
She took the religious name Sister Marie-Bernard.
She lived in the convent of Saint-Gildard, where she remained for the rest of her life.
Life in the Convent:
Bernadette lived a life of humility, obedience, and suffering. She deliberately stayed out of the spotlight, saying, “My job is to be sick.”
She was often ill, suffering from asthma, tuberculosis, and a painful bone disease.
Despite her suffering, she maintained deep faith, kindness, and a sense of humor.
Death and Legacy:
St. Bernadette died on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35.
Her body was found to be incorrupt during multiple exhumations, a sign of sanctity in Catholic tradition.
She was canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI.
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| The incorrupt body of St. Bernadette. Ora Pro Nobis |
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| You have to love streets named after Saints |
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| L'enfant of Prague |
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| The simple chapel, housing a supernatural wonder |
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| Lourdes Grotto |
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Saint Bernadette in the convent she
never left |
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| Such a peaceful place |
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The simple habit and shoes of a Saint. No Prada,
Louis V or other flashy things. |
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"How many are your works O Lord, In wisdom you
have made them all."
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Today, her body rests in a glass reliquary in the chapel at Nevers, where many pilgrims come to honor her. Her life at Nevers is remembered as one of hidden holiness, lived in quiet service and faithful endurance. After spending some time in the church, we left and walked to the Cathedral, Saint-Cyr et Sainte-Julitte de Nevers. The cathedral was undergoing some serious renovations, so much of it was not visible to us. Parts of the cathedral go back to the 6th century, with several key changes taking place of 1,000 years. The stained glass found in the cathedral were not original to the church. During World War II, the British RAF bombed the church while trying to take out the railway in Nevers. While I was not a big fan of the modern stained glass, the light they produced in the early evening was beautiful.
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| Cathedral of Nevers |
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| Elegant stations of the Cross |
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Beautiful light through the modern
windows |
We talked down to a sidewalk cafe near the banks of the Loire river for food and wine. We were about an hour too early for dinner, but the chef made some plates for us anyway. He brought them out, and we talked about Nevers and things to do. The food was a bit too "posh-posh" for us, but we still scarfed it down. After finishing the bottle of wine, we walked down by the river and watched the birds trying to fish in the river.
The Loire is the longest river in France, stretching 625 miles from its source in the Massif Central to the Atlantic. Major cities along the river are Orleans, Blois, Tours, Angers, Nantes, and of course, Nevers. The Loire is known as the last wild river in France, a title that refers to the fact that the river has not been fully dammed, canalized, or artifically straightened.
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| Trying to get tips from the local fisherman |
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| "Ain't nobody got time for that" |
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| #nevers |
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| The wild Loire |
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| I loved this part of France |
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The middle school boy in me can't stop thinking
it reads "Bra's" |
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| Tonight's dinner? |
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| Just another stroll in the roses |
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It makes you wonder what this was
used for in the Middle Ages |
Leaving the river, we walked through the gardens the lined the Promenade des Remparts and made our way to the hotel for the night, with one detour. The pish-posh food didn't really satisfy us, so Jennie suggested we stop for wings and beer. As I said in a Facebook post, make sure you marry a girl who drinks a bottle of wine and wants to stop for wings and beer on the way home.
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| Wine at 7 |
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| Wings at 9. #marryher |
