The basilicas

The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Upper Basilica), the first basilica to be built at the Sanctuary, marks the beginning of Lourdes’s great architectural journey. Built in an elegant Neo-Gothic style and consecrated in 1876, it stands out for the elegance of its lines, the splendour of its stained-glass windows and the harmony of its décor. Each space reveals the talent of the craftsmen who shaped it and, in its own way, tells the story of the early days of a place that has become iconic. A visit that will appeal equally to heritage enthusiasts and lovers of fine architecture.

With its domes inspired by Byzantine architecture and its mosaics in vibrant colours, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary lends a distinctive character to the Sanctuary of Lourdes.
Consecrated in 1901, it was designed to accommodate a growing number of visitors whilst making art a central part of the experience. The fifteen radiating chapels are each dedicated to a mystery of the Rosary and adorned with monumental mosaics. Created by the workshop of the Italian master mosaicist Giandomenico Facchina, they are brought to life from the designs of several renowned painters, including Edgard Maxence, Louis Édouard Fournier and Melchior Doze, giving each chapel its own distinct artistic identity. This diversity of styles, rare within a single building, makes the basilica a veritable showcase of late 19th-century architectural heritage.
The mosaics, the architectural lines and the attention to every detail make it one of the most remarkable buildings in the Sanctuary, as fascinating for its heritage as for the beauty of its décor.

Inaugurated in 1958 to mark the centenary of the Apparitions, the Basilica of Saint Pius X is a bold architectural masterpiece that stands in stark contrast to the other buildings at the Sanctuary.

Built entirely underground, it can accommodate up to 25,000 people, making it one of the largest gathering places in Europe. Its immense concrete vault, supported by a forest of pillars, is as impressive for its size as for its avant-garde design.

Throughout the tour, the works in gemmail – an artistic technique combining fragments of coloured glass – cast a unique light and offer a contemporary interpretation of the great moments in Christian history.