Bernadette Soubirous

[Deborah Harlan]

Does anyone know what the herb was growing at the grotto which Our Blessed Mother asked Bernadette to eat?

[Dawn Marie]

I don't know.  Excellent question though.  Somewhere in he back of my mind I thought it was a weed of some kind, but I could be wrong.

[Deborah Harlan]

I hope to find out some day!

[Deborah Harlan]

This is what I found on the Lourdes shrine website:

“These actions are biblical actions. Bernadette acts out the Incarnation, the Passion and the death of Christ. Moving on her knees to the back of the Grotto: this action recalls the Incarnation, God humbles himself to become human. Eating bitter herbs at the back of the Grotto recalls the Jewish tradition found in the ancient texts. Smearing her face with mud: when the prophet Isaiah speaks to us about Christ, he depicts Him as “the suffering servant”.”

I’d like include this herb in some sort of meal on the memorial Feb 11 to acknowledge St. Bernadette’s actions.

[Deborah Harlan]

I believe I’ve found it! I found a book by Henri Lesserre titled Our Lady of Lourdes published in 1869. Therein the herb he named that grew at the grotto is called la Dorine which is a type of Saxifrage known as Chrysosplenium oppositifolium.

Picture here: https://phytotheque.wordpress.com/2016/05/14/dorine-a-feuilles-oppo...

The book, which contains a letter to the author from Pope Blessed Pius IX, can be found on immaculatalibrary.com: https://books.immaculatalibrary.com/Our%20Lady%20of%20Lourdes.pdf

So excited that I found it!

[Dawn Marie]

Sweet!  Mystery solved.  I was reading that Our Lady asked her to eat it for penance but still I wonder if it has any other properties.

[Flavia Talladen Schott]

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing.