“Little Lourdes” is protected by the Virgin Mary

During a trip to Lourdes (France) in 1930, a modest railway worker from Lorraine, Georges Simonin, got the idea of ​​building a replica of the Lourdes basilicas on a scale of 1/20. It was a colossal project that required the use of two tons of plaster. The model is actually 19.6 ft high!

In 1947, Simonin’s work was well underway, when he lost his wife and became ill. Terrible stomach pains prevented him from continuing. He started an easier project, sculpting a statue of Our Lady of Boulogne for his parish of Villiers-sur-Marne. During the installation of the statue in the church, he felt a great heat run through his body—his pain disappeared, and he was cured! Overwhelmed with emotion, he kept it a secret and went to Lourdes to thank Our Lady.

There, he woke up one night with a start. He had dreamed that he was building a model of the town in Bernadette's time. He decided to gather historic documents and began working on this new project. In 1952, the castle of Lourdes, the centerpiece, which required 25 tons of rocks and other materials, rose in the center of the village of Villiers-sur-Marne. The parish church, public buildings, and 8 mills followed, and in 1954 “Little Lourdes” was born.

Unfortunately, during the catastrophic floods of 2013, many areas of the city were flooded. The entire site of “Little Lourdes” was underwater and ravaged by the mud of torrential rains. Yet when the water withdrew, it was found that the grotto, along with its small fixtures (hanging crutches and prayer pews) was intact! The plaster basilica did not move at all after 34 hours in water, to the amazement of the architects. The statue of Bernadette kneeling before Mary had not moved or been sullied either. Indeed, “Little Lourdes” must be protected and wanted by the Virgin Mary!

Philippe Louvet