The Soubirous

François Soubirous and Louise Castérot were married in 1842. They had nine children, only four of whom would reach adulthood. Bernadette, their eldest daughter, was born in 1844. She grew up in a modest but close-knit family. She learnt to read and write late, at the age of sixteen, after being admitted to the hospice run by the Sisters of Charity in 1860. In 1866, she joined the Saint-Gildard convent in Nevers, where she devoted her religious life to serving the poor and the sick. In 1875, her health deteriorated and she died of tuberculosis on 16 April 1879, aged 35. Her preserved body can be seen in the chapel of the convent in Nevers.

In early 1857, the Soubirous family fell into poverty and were forced to move into a gloomy, unsanitary room known as the ‘dungeon’, a former prison that had been disused since 1824. In September 1857, Bernadette was sent to Bartrès for five months, accompanied by her former nanny, Marie Laguës, to help with housework and daily chores. In January 1858, she returned to Lourdes to attend the class for the destitute run by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. On 11 February 1858, whilst on her way to the bank of the stream next to the Massabielle grotto to gather dead wood, she had an encounter that would change the course of her life: we are referring to the Marian apparitions at Lourdes.

François Soubirous and Louise Castérot were married in 1842. They had nine children, of whom only four reached adulthood. Bernadette, their eldest daughter, was born in 1844. She grew up in a modest but close-knit family. She learnt to read and write late, at the age of 16, after her admission in 1860 to the Hospice for the Poor run by the Sisters of Charity. In 1866 she entered the convent of Saint-Gildard in Nevers, where she devoted her religious life to serving the poor and the sick. In 1875 her health deteriorated and she died of tuberculosis on 16 April 1879 at the age of 35. Her incorrupt body is on display in the chapel of the convent in Nevers.

François Soubirous and Louise Castérot were married in 1842. They had nine children, but only four of them reached adulthood. Their eldest daughter, Bernadette, was born in 1844. She grew up in a modest but close-knit family with strong bonds. She learnt to read and write relatively late, when, at the age of 16, she was admitted to the hospice run by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. In 1866, she entered the Convent of Saint-Gildard in Nevers and, as a nun, cared for the needy and the sick. From 1875 onwards, her health deteriorated progressively. On 16 April 1879, she died of tuberculosis at the age of 35. Her body was laid in state in the chapel of the convent in Nevers.

François Soubirous and Louise Castérot married in 1842. They had nine children, only four of whom reached adulthood. Bernadette, their eldest daughter, was born in 1844. She grew up in a modest but close-knit family. She did not learn to read and write until she was sixteen, after being admitted to the Hospice of the Sisters of Charity in 1860. In 1866, she entered the Saint-Gildard convent in Nevers, where she devoted her religious life to serving the poor and the sick. In 1875 her health began to decline and on 16 April 1879 she died of tuberculosis at the age of 35. Her preserved body can be seen in the chapel of the convent in Nevers.

François Soubirous and Louise Castérot were married in 1842. They had nine children, of whom only four reached adulthood. Bernadette, their eldest daughter, was born in 1844. She was brought up in a modest but harmonious family. She learnt to read and write late, at the age of sixteen, after being admitted to a shelter run by the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity in 1860. In 1866, she entered the Saint-Gildard convent in Nevers, where she devoted herself to religious life in the service of the poor and the sick. In 1875, her health began to deteriorate. She contracted tuberculosis and died on 16 April 1879 at the age of 35. Her body has been preserved and can be viewed in the convent chapel in Nevers.