As evening falls on Lourdes, the Sanctuary gradually takes on a different atmosphere. Pilgrims gather, conversations quieten down and thousands of little lights begin to appear in the night. Each person holds a candle in their hand, protected by a paper collar. Then the opening words of the Hail Mary ring out.
This marks the start of one of the best-known and most moving moments of a pilgrimage to Lourdes: the Marian torchlight procession.
Every evening during the pilgrimage season, thousands of people from France and all over the world gather to walk and pray together. Different languages mingle, generations come together, and those who are unwell make their way, supported by volunteers, whilst families carry their own intentions in their hearts.
Amidst this crowd, thousands of candles light up the esplanade.
But why does this procession hold such an important place in Lourdes? Where does this tradition come from? Why do people carry a candle? And what does this immense river of light flowing through the Sanctuary at nightfall signify?
To understand this, we must go back to the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
The origins of the Torchlight Procession
The history of the procession is deeply linked to the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes.
On 11 February 1858, 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous went to the Grotto of Massabielle with her sister and a friend to gather firewood.
It was there that she first caught sight of a mysterious Lady dressed in white, wearing a blue sash and a yellow rose on each foot.
Bernadette then took out her rosary and began to pray.
This first apparition was followed by seventeen others, up until 16 July 1858.
Very quickly, the people of Lourdes learnt what was happening at Massabielle. Despite the doubts and opposition, more and more people began to accompany Bernadette to the Grotto.
During the apparitions, Bernadette got into the habit of bringing a lit candle.
This simple gesture gave rise to a tradition that would continue to grow.
Even today, candles play a vital role in Lourdes. They burn near the Grotto day and night and accompany the pilgrims’ prayers.
‘Let them come there in procession’
One of the Virgin Mary’s words to Bernadette also helps us to understand the importance that processions have come to hold in Lourdes.
During the thirteenth apparition, on 2 March 1858, the Lady asked Bernadette:
“Go and tell the priests to come here in procession and to build a chapel here.” ”
Bernadette then went to see the parish priest of Lourdes, Father Dominique Peyramale, to convey this request to him.
At the time, no one could have imagined the significance these few words would come to have.
More than a century and a half later, millions of pilgrims have indeed come in procession to Lourdes.
And several basilicas and churches have been built around this little grotto, which once stood on the outskirts of the town.
The procession is therefore not simply a tradition that has developed over the years. It directly echoes the message conveyed by Bernadette.
Why a procession?
In the Christian tradition, a procession represents much more than simply moving from one place to another.
Walking together has spiritual significance.
Christian life itself is often described as a journey.
We journey towards God with our joys, our difficulties, our hopes, our doubts and our wounds.
In Lourdes, this image becomes visible.
Thousands of people walk together.
Some have come seeking healing.
Others wish to give thanks for a grace received.
Some entrust a child, a sick relative, a couple in difficulty or a missing person.
Others simply come seeking peace or to rediscover their faith.
No one knows all the intentions held by this crowd.
Yet, for a few moments, they all move in the same direction and recite the same prayer.
It is this simplicity that gives the Torchlight Procession much of its power.
Why do pilgrims carry a candle?
The candle is one of the oldest Christian symbols.
In the Gospel according to Saint John, Jesus declares:
‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. ”
The flame therefore reminds us above all of Christ, the light of the world.
Lighting a candle is a way of making this prayer visible.
The flame continues to burn even after the person who lit it has gone.
It can symbolise an intention entrusted to God, a request for protection, an expression of thanks, the remembrance of a loved one, or quite simply the silent presence of the person praying.
During the Torchlight Procession, this meaning takes on a striking dimension.
A single candle gives off a small light.
But when thousands of pilgrims raise their candles at the same time, the entire esplanade is illuminated.
Faith lived out individually then becomes a shared light.
A procession under the sign of the Rosary
The Torchlight Procession is also deeply linked to the Rosary.
This link goes right back to the apparitions.
When Bernadette saw the Lady for the first time, she took out her rosary. Throughout the subsequent apparitions, the Rosary remained at the heart of her prayer.
Today, pilgrims taking part in the procession meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary as they make their way through the Sanctuary.
The decades are recited in different languages.
French, Italian, Spanish, English, German, Latin and many other languages can then be heard echoing through the night in Lourdes.
This diversity is particularly striking.
A person may not understand their neighbour’s language and yet immediately recognise the prayer being recited.
The rhythm of the Hail Mary becomes a common language.
The Ave Maria of Lourdes
It is almost impossible to speak of the Torchlight Procession without thinking of the famous refrain:
‘Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!’
With each refrain, the pilgrims raise their candles.
Thousands of tiny flames then rise simultaneously towards the sky.
For many pilgrims, this is one of the most vivid memories of their stay in Lourdes.
The voices, the candles, the night, the illuminated basilica and the presence of thousands of people gathered in prayer create an atmosphere that is difficult to describe if you have never experienced it.
Yet this is not a spectacle.
Inner silence and prayer remain at the heart of this moment.
Each light represents a person.
And behind every person lies a story.
The sick at the heart of the procession
One of the most striking features of Lourdes is the place given to those who are ill, disabled or frail.
They are not kept at a distance.
On the contrary, they occupy a central place in the pilgrimages and processions.
Accompanied by volunteers and hospitaliers, they participate fully in the Church’s prayer.
This presence gives the Torchlight Procession a special significance.
In our daily lives, illness and suffering are often hidden away.
In Lourdes, they are welcomed.
The sick person is not merely the one for whom we pray. They are themselves a pilgrim and a full member of the gathered community.
This is also one of the most powerful messages of the Sanctuary.
Mary, she who leads us to Jesus
The procession is called ‘Marian’ because it takes place under the gaze of Our Lady of Lourdes and is accompanied by the recitation of the Rosary.
But in the Catholic faith, Mary never replaces Christ.
She leads us to Him.
The message of Lourdes itself is deeply centred on conversion, prayer and a return to God.
When the Virgin appeared to Bernadette, she did not ask her to seek glory or wealth.
She spoke to her about prayer.
She called for penance.
She invites her to pray for sinners.
And when Bernadette asked her name, the Lady replied on 25 March 1858:
‘I am the Immaculate Conception. ”
In Lourdes, Marian devotion is therefore inseparable from faith in Christ.
The procession expresses this reality: pilgrims walk with Mary to draw closer to Jesus.
A vast family from all over the world
Taking part in the Torchlight Procession also offers the chance to discover another aspect of Lourdes: the universality of the Church.
In the same procession, pilgrims from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Africa, Asia and the Americas may walk side by side.
Banners sometimes indicate the dioceses, parishes, hospitality groups or the various pilgrimages.
Children walk alongside their parents.
Priests walk with their communities.
Men and women of religious life recite the Rosary.
Volunteers accompany the sick.
Some pilgrims know all the prayers by heart.
Others are returning to church after years away.
And some are discovering Lourdes for the first time.
During the procession, all these differences seem to fade away in the presence of a single light.
Can you take part in the Torchlight Procession without being a believer?
People who are not Catholic or who consider themselves distant from the faith also attend the procession.
Lourdes does indeed welcome many visitors drawn by its history, its heritage or simply by the reputation of the Sanctuary.
You don’t need to know all the prayers to walk alongside the pilgrims.
You can also remain silent, observe, listen or silently entrust a loved one to God.
For some visitors, this procession is even an opportunity for their first encounter with Christian prayer.
Lourdes has always been a place where certainties and questions, deep faith and spiritual seeking, intersect.
A light in the night
The symbolic power of the procession also stems from the time of day it takes place.
It is night-time.
And yet, the darkness is never complete.
A flame appears.
Then ten.
Then a hundred.
Then thousands.
This image can be understood as a true Christian parable.
In the course of a human life, everyone goes through periods of darkness at some point: illness, bereavement, loneliness, fear of the future, family or work-related difficulties.
Faith does not mean that these trials miraculously disappear.
But it affirms that darkness never has the last word.
A small light may seem fragile.
Yet, in the night, it becomes immediately visible.
The procession at Lourdes thus serves as a reminder of this Christian hope: even in the midst of suffering, a light remains.
Offering one’s intentions at Lourdes
Many pilgrims arrive in Lourdes with a specific intention.
Some carry the name of a sick person in their hearts.
Others pray for their children or grandchildren.
People come to ask for peace within a family, protection for a loved one, the strength to get through a difficult time, or the grace of a fresh start.
Other pilgrims come to give thanks.
A lit candle can then become a visible sign of this intention.
There is no need for grand words.
A very simple prayer is enough:
‘Mary, I entrust this person to you. ”
Or simply:
“Lord, you know my intention.”
In Lourdes, prayer often consists of very simple gestures: touching the rock in the Grotto, drinking water from the spring, reciting a Hail Mary or lighting a candle.
What should you do with your candle during the procession?
Traditionally, pilgrims carry a candle fitted with a paper cover to protect the flame.
You can take a few moments before the procession begins to silently entrust a particular intention to God.
During the Rosary, the candle remains lit.
During the refrain of the Hail Mary, pilgrims traditionally raise their candles.
This gesture, repeated by thousands of people, creates that magnificent sea of light which has become one of the iconic images of Lourdes.
But the essence, of course, lies not in the gesture itself.
The candle is simply the visible symbol of an invisible reality: prayer.
A different experience on every pilgrimage
Even when one has taken part in the Torchlight Procession several times before, the experience is never quite the same.
The crowd changes.
People’s intentions change.
And above all, our own lives change.
We may return to Lourdes a few years later with new joys, but also with new trials.
A candle that we once carried to ask for a favour may, a few years later, become a candle of thanksgiving.
A person for whom we prayed may now have left us.
A child may have grown into an adult.
A difficulty that once seemed insurmountable may now have been overcome.
This, too, is what a pilgrimage is: returning to the same place with a different story.
The popes themselves have taken part in this prayer
The Torchlight Procession was also experienced by the successors of Saint Peter during their pilgrimages to Lourdes.
Saint John Paul II, who had a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary, prayed at Lourdes during his visits in 1983 and 2004.
In September 2008, Benedict XVI also joined the Marian procession during his pilgrimage to mark the 150th anniversary of the apparitions.
These images of a Pope reciting the Rosary with the pilgrims remind us of a very simple truth: before the Grotto, everyone becomes a pilgrim once more.
Whether a pope, a bishop, a volunteer, a sick person or a family visiting for the first time, everyone can repeat the same words:
‘Hail Mary, full of grace… ”
The Torchlight Procession in 2026
In 2026, this tradition will continue to bring pilgrims together in Lourdes every evening during the pilgrimage season.
And this year takes on a very special significance with the announced visit of Pope Leo XIV to Lourdes on 26 and 27 September 2026.
The programme for this visit includes, in particular, the Holy Father’s participation on Sunday evening in a time of prayer centred on the Rosary and the Marian procession.
The scene promises to be particularly powerful: the Successor of Peter amongst the pilgrims of Lourdes, before thousands of candles held aloft in the night.
A new chapter in the history of the Torchlight Procession will then be written.
An experience to be had at least once in Lourdes
There are many ways to discover Lourdes.
You can visit the basilicas.
You can visit the Cachot, where the Soubirous family lived.
You can walk to Bartrès, explore the places linked to Bernadette’s life, attend an international Mass or follow the Way of the Cross.
But to truly understand the spirit of Lourdes, you probably need to experience the Torchlight Procession at least once.
As night falls, the bells ring out and the first flames appear, the Sanctuary seems to enter another time.
Then the pilgrims begin to walk.
Hail Marys follow one after another.
Languages change.
The candles are raised.
And little by little, thousands of tiny lights merge into almost a single one.
Lourdes, a light that continues to burn
From the small flame carried by Bernadette in front of the Grotto in 1858 to the thousands of candles that illuminate the Sanctuary today, light has become one of the great symbols of Lourdes.
It reminds us of Christ, the light of the world.
It represents faith and hope.
It accompanies the intentions entrusted to the Virgin Mary.
It also reminds us that no one truly prays alone.
Every evening, the Torchlight Procession makes this reality visible.
Thousands of men and women who do not know one another walk together, each carrying their own story, their own suffering, their own thanks and their own hopes.
Then, as the Ave Maria rings out once more, the candles are raised into the night.
A multitude of tiny flames then becomes a single, immense light.
It is perhaps in this simple image that one of the most beautiful messages of Lourdes lies:
even in the darkness, the light of faith, prayer and hope continues to burn.
