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Lourdes, France -- The story of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes has been recorded in detail in handwritten documents. In the middle of the 1800s Lourdes was an obscure village in the south of France at the foot of the Pyrenees. The Soubirous family was reduced to poverty, when Monsieur Soubirous lost his job due to an accident at the water mill in which he lost an eye. The eldest child, Bernadette, was often sent to collect wood. On an icy day in February 1858, she saw a vision of a white lady in a grotto by the river. During the last of 18 apparitions, the lady revealed her identity, calling herself the Immaculate Conception. Each year, especially during the summer, special trains leave various European countries bound for Lourdes. Pilgrimage committees on a non-profit basis organize the trips. Lourdes has become the major pilgrimage center for the sick and infirm. Pilgrims make the journey with large groups of bedridden patients and the disabled. Helpers accompany them, including doctors and nurses, all volunteers. All day long a steady stream of tourists visit the site in the grotto where Mary appeared. Many people feel that drinking the water or bathing in it does them good. Many have been cured.

Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, France -- This is the story of the two Marys, the mothers of the disciples John and Jacob, whose boat was shipwrecked off the coast of southern France. They had fled by sea after being banished from Palestine. Their boat began to sink near Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, a small town in the Camargue, where the river Rhone flows into the Mediterranean. According to the legend, Sara, a gypsy, watched from the beach as the boat foundered. She spread her cloak and both Marys safely reached shore. They told Sara of ChristĄs resurrection, and Sara asked the women to baptize her. Every year tens of thousands of gypsies from all over the world come to Les Saintes Maries. They come to worship their patron saint, the woman they call Saint Sara. In the morning they visit the crypt where the statue of Sara is displayed. Later in the day the statue is taken from the crypt and carried out to sea accompanied by a grand procession of gypsies. Although Sara has not been formally recognized by the church, it has made a gesture, declaring May 24th as SaraĄs official saintĄs day.

ime: 1 hr | Production Year: 1995

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