Lourdes

Lourdes was at the very centre of nineteenth century debates on religion, science and medicine. Both the Church and secularists championed the ''miracle'' town as crucial in shaping how society should think about the mind, body and spirit. Since the ‘visions’ of Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 transformed the quiet Pyrenean town into an international tourist and pilgrimage destination, it has been...