Saint bernadette soubirous biography of william hill

Lourdes: 160 years of healing

Colm Fitzpatrick explores the short and remarkable life of St Bernadette

A quirky and curious pub question that may raise a few eyebrows is: “Who is the first saint to be photographed?” The answer, believe it or not, is St Bernadette Soubirous, the renowned visionary of Lourdes, whose picture was taken in 1860.

But behind this black and white photo lies a much more colourful story; one that describes the short life of a young poor French girl who encountered the Mother of God.

Born in Lourdes on January 7, 1844, Bernadette Soubrious was the first of nine children of François and Louise, a miller and his wife.

Four of Bernadette’s siblings died in their infancy, while she herself contracted cholera and several other illnesses as a child, being left with serious asthma throughout her life.

As the industrial revolution took hold, her father was forced to rent a smaller mill, and eventually driven to become a l