Église Sainte-Bernadette de Lourdes, Religious complex in Lourdes, France

The Église Sainte-Bernadette de Lourdes is a church inside the sanctuary of Lourdes, built in 1988 and dedicated to Saint Bernadette Soubirous. It sits near the famous grotto and is part of one of the most visited religious sites in France.

The church was consecrated in 1988, about 130 years after Bernadette Soubirous reported her visions at the grotto of Massabielle. It was built to meet the needs of a growing number of pilgrims who travel to the sanctuary each year.

The church is named after Bernadette Soubirous, the girl of the 1858 apparitions, and stands on the spot where she was kept from the grotto by barricades during the eighteenth apparition of 16 July 1858. Its movable partition lets the nave split into two halls, Grotto and Carmel, so Masses can run in parallel. The French bishops hold their plenary assembly in the adjoining Mont-Carmel hemicycle.

The church is open throughout the year and welcomes visitors of all faiths. Those who want to attend a service or join a procession should come early in the day, as the sanctuary area can fill up quickly during the main pilgrimage seasons.

Within the sanctuary grounds there is a medical bureau that reviews reported healings using scientific methods. It is one of the few places in the world where such reports are formally examined by doctors, regardless of the faith of the person involved.