Description

Our Lady of Lourdes & Saint Bernadette Medal – Silver-Plated ZAMAC – Made in Italy – 1″

In 1858, a fourteen-year-old girl gathering firewood near a rocky grotto outside the small French town of Lourdes experienced an encounter that would transform the place into one of the world’s great Catholic pilgrimage destinations. Her name was Bernadette Soubirous, and the beautiful Lady she reported seeing at the Grotto of Massabielle would eventually identify herself with the words, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

These Our Lady of Lourdes / Saint Bernadette Medals commemorate the devotion that arose from those events and the remarkable young saint whose humility and perseverance became inseparable from the story of Lourdes. Made in Italy from silver-plated ZAMAC, a durable metal alloy composed primarily of zinc, these high-quality devotional medals offer a more substantial traditional construction than inexpensive lightweight aluminum medals. Each medal measures approximately 22 × 15mm, or about 1 inch tall, and weighs approximately 2 grams.

Bernadette Soubirous was born in Lourdes, France, in 1844 into a family that knew considerable poverty. On February 11, 1858, while gathering firewood with her sister and a friend near the Grotto of Massabielle, Bernadette reported seeing a young woman dressed in white, with a blue sash and a Rosary.

The apparitions continued over the following months. Bernadette was questioned repeatedly by civil and Church authorities and faced skepticism and considerable public attention, yet she remained consistent in describing what she had experienced. The Lady called for prayer, penance, and conversion, and Bernadette frequently prayed the Rosary during the apparitions.

During one apparition, Bernadette was instructed to drink from and wash in a spring. She dug into the ground, and water began to emerge from a place that had previously appeared muddy and insignificant. The spring at Lourdes subsequently became one of the most recognizable features of the sanctuary.

The defining moment came when Bernadette asked the Lady to reveal her name. According to Bernadette, the response was:

“I am the Immaculate Conception.”

The words carried particular significance because the Catholic Church had solemnly defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception only four years earlier, in 1854. The doctrine teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary, by a singular grace of God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her conception.

Following careful investigation, the local bishop recognized the apparitions as worthy of belief in 1862. Lourdes gradually became an international destination for Catholic pilgrimage, drawing millions of people seeking prayer, Confession, participation in the Mass, Eucharistic processions, and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Bernadette herself did not seek celebrity from the events. She eventually entered the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, where she lived a largely hidden religious life until her death in 1879 at the age of thirty-five. Pope Pius XI canonized her in 1933.

The devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes has become especially associated with prayer for those who are sick and suffering. The Church recognizes a small number of reported healings at Lourdes as medically unexplained after rigorous investigation, but Catholic devotion does not treat Lourdes water, medals, or other sacramentals as magical objects. Nor does devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes promise physical healing.

The deeper message of Lourdes remains one of prayer, repentance, conversion, the Rosary, and trust in Jesus Christ. Mary does not replace Christ; as in authentic Marian devotion throughout Catholic tradition, she points the faithful toward her Son.

An Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette medal can therefore be especially meaningful for those facing illness, caregivers, healthcare workers, pilgrims, devotees of the Rosary, and anyone with a particular devotion to Mary or Saint Bernadette. It can also serve as a tangible reminder of Lourdes for those who have made a pilgrimage there or hope to do so someday.

The silver-plated finish gives these medals a classic Catholic appearance suitable for wearing on a medal chain or incorporating into Rosaries, chaplets, bracelets, keychains, and handmade devotional gifts. Made in Italy from silver-plated ZAMAC rather than lightweight aluminum, they provide a more substantial construction while retaining a convenient one-inch size suitable for wearing, carrying as a pocket medal, or including with an Our Lady of Lourdes prayer card, Rosary, or Catholic gift set.

The story began with a poor young girl beside an overlooked grotto. Bernadette remained humble, Mary called for prayer and conversion, and generations of pilgrims have continued to make their way to Lourdes carrying their hopes, sorrows, illnesses, and petitions. The enduring invitation of Lourdes is not to place faith in a spring or an object, but to turn again toward prayer, repentance, the sacraments, and Jesus Christ.

Product Details

Item: Our Lady of Lourdes / Saint Bernadette Medal
Devotion: Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Style: Catholic devotional medal
Material: Silver-plated ZAMAC (primarily zinc alloy)
Finish: Silver plated
Size: Approximately 22 × 15mm
Height: Approximately 1″
Weight: Approximately 2 grams each
Country of Origin: Made in Italy
Our Lady of Lourdes Feast Day: February 11
Saint Bernadette Feast Day: April 16
Traditional Symbols: Grotto of Massabielle, Rosary, spring at Lourdes, white garments, and blue sash
Devotional Associations: Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Bernadette, Immaculate Conception, Rosary, Marian devotion, pilgrimage, prayer for the sick and suffering, penance, conversion, and trust in Jesus Christ
Suggested Uses: Medal chains, Rosaries, chaplets, bracelets, keychains, pocket medals, handmade Catholic jewelry, Lourdes pilgrimage gifts, Marian gifts, prayer gifts for the sick, caregiver gifts, First Communion gifts, Confirmation gifts, and Catholic gift sets
Note: These medals are not represented as blessed and possess no independent healing power. They may be blessed by a Catholic priest for devotional use.
Category: Catholic Jewelry → Marian Medals → Our Lady of Lourdes Medals