Lourdes Grotto at Clairmarais

The replica of the Lourdes Grotto is located on the road leading from Clairmarais to Cassel. Around a bend, on your right, a strange rock beckons. Candles illuminate the rocky mass.

The grotto was built near the former Saint Bernard Institution, once run by the Assumptionist Fathers. In 1934, the Reverend Father Superior fell seriously ill. The religious vowed to create a grotto for the Virgin Mary if he regained his health. The Fathers therefore undertook the construction of the grotto, which became a place of fervent prayer.

Every year, on August 15, the feast of the Assumption, several thousand Christians gather throughout the day at the Clairmarais grotto to celebrate this holy day together. On Friday afternoon, the faithful of the region are expected in the meadow surrounding the grotto for a moment of sharing and prayer, before the traditional Marian vigil which ends with a torchlight procession.