On February 11, 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, accompanied by her sister and a friend, went to gather firewood near the Gave de Pau. She saw a "Lady dressed in white, wearing a white gown, a white veil, and a blue sash." This was the first apparition of what would be known as the Immaculate Conception to Bernadette. The young girl began to visit the cave regularly, and the Virgin Mary spoke to her, initiating a dialogue.

On February 25, during the ninth apparition, "the Lady" asked Bernadette to scrape the ground at the back of the cave, telling her to "go to the spring to drink and wash." In the early days, this spring was nothing more than a muddy puddle, yet it sparked the curiosity of many Christians. Crowds began to gather to accompany Bernadette on her visits to the cave.

On March 1, 1858, Catherine Latapie, a woman with a paralyzed hand, felt an irresistible urge to go to the spring. After dipping her hand in the still muddy water, she regained full flexibility and mobility.

Word of this miracle quickly spread, and the spring became known as the "miraculous spring." This first miracle was officially recognized in 1862 by the highest Catholic authorities. It marked the first official miracle of Lourdes in which the water from the spring played a significant role.

The International Sanctuary of Lourdes in the Pyrenees is the leading pilgrimage site in France, attracting Catholics from around the world. The apparitions of the Virgin Mary that occurred in the cave of Lourdes, where Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, are the foundation of much of the fervor among Christians who visit the sanctuary at the Massabielle cave. However, among all the major pilgrimage sites in the world, Lourdes has a unique characteristic: it has a spring whose origin was revealed by "Lady" herself (as Bernadette referred to her) to the young girl. This miraculous spring is one of the additional mysteries of the sacred place that is the Lourdes sanctuary. From a muddy source where Bernadette had to try four times to drink the first sip of water, we now have a spring with a flow rate of 32 cubic meters per year. What is the story of this spring since it first erupted in 1858? What virtues are attributed to it? What various uses are made of it?

This miraculous water generates a lot of enthusiasm, and many pilgrims leave the sanctuary with a bottle of Lourdes water. However, it's important to clarify a few truths about it.

Lourdes water is not blessed water; in fact, no priest intervenes to bless it.

Bernadette Soubirous, recognizing the excitement surrounding the miraculous spring, once said, “People take the water as a medicine; this spring would have no virtue without faith.” Interpreting her words, we can understand that the true virtue of Lourdes water lies in the faith that believers have in the sanctuary of Lourdes itself, where they acknowledge divine intervention.