Lourdes why is it so special?

Lourdes is a small town in the Pyrenees in south-west France. This is where the Virgin Mary appeared to the poor peasant girl St. Bernadette eighteen times in 1858. It now attracts five million pilgrims every year from all over the world. Pilgrimage is an important to experience for many Christians and Catholics. They see their life as a journey and and will try to separate themselves from everyday life problems and spend some time in the presence of God as he travels to a place of special meaning, such as Lourdes. Some visit just out of interest of this historic place and the beauty of its landscapes and buildings. There are many that visit out of religious beliefs and want to see where the Virgin Mary appeared. Many people go to Lourdes as helpers and support other people who are suffering. It is a selfless act that they are helping others less fortunate in health and life. There are those who are really ill, have disabilities or have terminal illness and visit in the hope of cures and miracles. A very important reason for people going to Lourdes is that they believe that the spring waters that flow from the fountains bring miraculous healing from God.
Over time many thousands of pilgrims have came to Lourdes to follow the words of Our Lady of Lourdes to "drink at the spring and wash in it". The water at Lourdes is not known to be holy water itself but to come from a sacred spring. Many people have claimed that since the apparitions that they have been cured by drinking and bathing in the water.