Postcard Lourdes - Esplanade before the Blessing of the Sick, Labouche Freres Toulouse nr. 1485

Early pilgrimage postcard of Lourdes, nr. 1485, with a heliogravure reproduction of the Esplanade before the daily "Bénédiction des Malades" — the Blessing of the Sick, the liturgical centrepiece of the Lourdes pilgrimage. The view shows hundreds of pilgrims on the wide esplanade in front of the basilica, with in the background the wooded slopes, a grand hotel and the Pyrenees. To the left in the background the medieval castle of Lourdes is visible. The card is printed by Héliogravure Labouche Frères in Toulouse, one of the leading regional postcard publishers in south-west France. The reverse is almost blank with light age-related staining.

The Blessing of the Sick was and remains the daily ritual in which the ill and disabled are carried in procession to receive the blessing of a priest. For many it was the heart of the Lourdes pilgrimage — a moment of intense concentration of hope, prayer and community. Postcards of this type were printed in large quantities and taken home by pilgrims as evidence of their visit and as documents of faith. The heliogravure technique gives this early example a photographic richness that later offset prints do not match.