The Marian procession of Lourdes could soon be inscribed in the intangible cultural heritage of France. The sanctuary has submitted a request to the Ministry of Culture.

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In the homeland of Voltaire, the Marian procession of Lourdes could be named a cultural heritage.

The Sanctuary officially started a few days ago the procedure to have the pilgrimage mariale aux flambeaux (by torchlight) included in the intangible cultural heritage of France.

The dossier, submitted on September 26 to the French Ministry of Culture, supports the fact that this living testimony of piety, liturgical tradition, and social cohesion deserves national protection before aiming for international recognition.

 

What the Marian procession of Lourdes is

Every evening, from April to October, at 9 p.m., thousands of pilgrims walk the sacred path from the Grotto of Apparitions to the Esplanade of the Rosary, holding lit candles, and accompanying the gesture with the Rosary, silence, and hymns.

On average about 10,000 people from around the world participate; for example, on the upcoming October 2nd, 17,000 people are expected.

It is a rite that unites the visual dimension of light with the spiritual dimension of prayer, rooted in the first devotional manifestations following the apparitions of 1858. Specifically, it is a rite that arose spontaneously in 1864, on the occasion of the blessing of the statue of Mary.

This particular tribute to the Virgin has over time enriched itself with other symbols, such as the expression of unity among pilgrims of different languages and cultures, and the participation at the forefront of the procession of people with disabilities and the sick, in the full evangelical spirit of the “last” becoming “first”.

Usually, firefighters, banner bearers, hoteliers, and local shopkeepers join the rite, as well as civil authorities such as the municipality and the prefecture.

 

The candidacy for intangible heritage of France

The candidacy is based on four criteria: the perpetuity of the tradition, practiced for more than 150 years; the transmission of intangible knowledge (songs, gestures, community organization); its identity, social and cultural role for the Marian citadel and the local economy; and finally, the universal scope of its values: fraternity, solidarity, hospitality.

Even more importantly, national inscription in the French inventory of intangible heritage represents a preliminary step essential to then compete for inclusion in UNESCO’s representative list of humanity as an intangible treasure.

When Voltaire prophesied the end of Christianity and, as a prince of tolerance, invoked the crushing of “l’infâme”, meaning Catholicism, he hardly imagined that 250 years after his death, Enlightenment France could recognize devotion to Mary as a State heritage.

Of course, this is a very ambitious initiative with no certainty of success. The answer will come in the coming weeks, and UCCR will keep readers informed of further developments.