1844 - 1858

St Bernadette's Childhood

Marie-Bernard Soubirous was born on Sunday 7th January 1844 at the Boly Mill, one of several flour mills situated along tributaries of the Gave de Pau in Lourdes. Baptised Marie-Bernard after her godmother, the newborn baby was referred to more affectionately as ‘Bernadette’.

The first child of Francois Soubirous and Louise Castérot, Bernadette was baptised two days after her birth at the Parish Church of Saint-Pierre (St. Peter) in Lourdes. Her baptism marked the one year anniversary of her parents marriage in the same church.

At just ten months old, Bernadette’s mother had an accident. A lit candle fell on her breast and burnt her so badly that she was unable to breast feed little Bernadette. Marie Aravant, a customer of the Boly Mill living in the neighbouring village of Bartrés, had recently lost her baby son shortly after birth. Unable to safely breast feed Bernadette, Louise entrusted her daughter into Marie’s care whilst she recovered.

It was some fifteen months before baby Bernadette was able to return to live in the Boly Mill. Her return was warmly welcomed by her parents who missed her desperately but was received with mixed emotion as they mourned the loss of their second child just two months after being born.

Bernadette later acquired a sister, Marie-Antoinette (Toinette) and brothers, Jean-Marie and Justin*. The family were not rich but comfortable and united in love living together in the Boly Mill and running the family business.

* Bernadette was eventually the eldest of nine children — Bernadette, Jean (born and died 1845), Toinette (1846–1892), Jean-Marie (1848–1851), Jean-Marie (1851–1919), Justin (1855–1865), Pierre (1859–1931), Jean (born and died 1864), and a baby named Louise who died soon after her birth (1866)

Bernadette’s parents were illiterate, and by the early 1850’s this was making the ‘business’ side of running the Boly Mill somewhat problematic. These problems were soon to start reflecting in the financial performance of the mill. The couple were renowned for their great kindness in failing to demand immediate payment of dues from customers, often allowing them to defer payments. Louise was generous to customers of the mill; she would feed them as they waited for their produce, the cost of which often exceeded the mills daily revenue.

Whilst cleaning and maintaining some machinery one day, Francois suffered an accident when a fragment of stone hit him in the eye, disabling him for the rest of his life. This disability begun to affect the quality of grain being produced at the Boly Mill. As the Industrial Revolution swept across France, even more pressure was put on production facilities to produce higher quality product.

The Boly Mill was failing on all sides and the Soubirous were experiencing severe financial problems.

Their fortunes had completely reversed in a short space of time. Francois’ disability, the economic and financial pressure on the mill, the dawn of steam powered technology and the couples’ inability to keep accounts deemed it impossible for them to continue. The family were forced to leave the Boly Mill in June 1854.

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Both Francois and Louise were able to get bits of work here and there; Francois working in a bakery and at a carriage company, whilst Louise cleaned houses and laundered garments for locals.

The family moved a number of times after the Boly Mill – Francois trying his best to keep the family with a roof over their head and food on the table.

In Autumn 1855 the south-west of France was hit by a Cholera epidemic. Bernadette had suffered continually with health issues as a young child and, with low immunity, was more susceptible to infection than her siblings and parents. She subsequently contracted Cholera and, although eventually recovering, the impact of the condition would have a life-long effect on her: she suffered with severe abdominal pain and chronic asthma until the very day she died.

In 1856 a famine was having widespread effect on the region. Jobs were few and far between and by the end of the year the Soubirous’ were destitute with no place to live. Francois desperately searched for a place to house his family as winter took hold. He eventually accepted a proposal from his cousin to move into a place known as “le Cachot” (the ‘Dungeon’ in English). This was a tiny single room that had previously been a prison but condemned by authorities as unfit to house convicts.

Life was incredibly tough for the family of six living in a space that nowadays would be smaller than a single prison cell. The atmosphere in the Cachot (which looked out over a courtyard used to store animal manure) was wholly unsuitable to the weak and delicate health of Bernadette.

If that wasn’t enough, a few weeks after moving into the Cachot, Francois was wrongly accused of theft and this put the nail in the coffin for the Soubirous. Francois was imprisoned; Louise was distraught and tried desperately to keep things going for her children. After almost a week in jail, it was discovered that Francois was not in fact the thief; the real criminal was apprehended and he was released back to his family without fuss.

But by now, the Soubirous name was ‘dirt’ to many locals.

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As the summer of 1857 approached, Marie (the lady from Bartrés who cared for Bernadette as a baby) asked the Soubirous’ if their daughter (now 13) would return to her farm for the summer period to help as a shepherdess and housekeeper. This opportunity meant clean, fresh country air and more wholesome food… The Soubirous’ agreed it would be a far healthier atmosphere for Bernadette and one less mouth to feed was an obvious fiscal advantage to the family.

Consequently, yet with heavy hearts, they allowed Bernadette to return to Bartrés.

Bernadette’s time in Bartrés did not satisfy her. She was maturing into a determined young lady with a strong passion for faith, and it had been agreed that her staying in Bartrés was on condition that she would continue to get some education and help with her catechism. Yet the local priest had accepted a job in Tarbes and had left the parish with no clergy. Also, the harsh working life on Marie’s farm meant there was not much time for education. Marie attempted to remedy this by reading the catechism to Bernadette, but the readings were in French and came with no explanation.

Bernadette’s stay in Bartrés was meant only for the summer but it had protracted. Francois visited every Sunday on a walk from Lourdes and on one of these visits, his eldest and dearest daughter made it clear that she wanted to return to her parents in Lourdes, despite the conditions. For in Lourdes, there was her family and also priests who would be able to help her to learn.

In January 1858 Bernadette returned to the Cachot. To poverty and to damp but also to the warmth and love of her family.

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In 1858, Lourdes was a small town – nothing like today. Its landscape was dominated by the Fortress on the rock, and the town centre – quintessentially French - was built around the square, café and water fountain. Outside the town, along the Savy Canal (a tributary of the Gave de Pau) was the Savy Meadow, belonging to another local miller. It was made up of a rectangular floodplain that was bordered by the Savy Meadow on one side and the Gave de Pau on two others. Opposite the meadow was a large rock and cave, known locally as Massabielle. It was a lonely and desolate place, used generally for farm animals to graze when the Savy Canal was at its lowest depth.

On 11th February 1858, fresh back from Bartrés, Bernadette, her sister and her friend set off from the Cachot in search of firewood. They were heading to the forest on the hill (the present day site of the High Stations of the Cross). As they approached the Pont Vieux they met with a distant relative of Bernadette’s who was washing clothes in the river. Asking where they were off to, Bernadette explained to the lady that they were heading into the forest to collect firewood. The lady suggested to Bernadette that instead she should head for the Savy Meadow where the miller had been felling trees – here she could gather firewood.

So instead of heading up the mountain path to the forest, Bernadette lead her sister and friend in the opposite direction towards the Savy Meadow – and thereon to the rock of Massabielle…