Musical about Bernadette von Lourdes: A moving drama of faith in Rome!

Musical about Bernadette von Lourdes: A moving drama of faith in Rome!

On January 15, 2025, the mostly expected musical "Bernadette von Lourdes" celebrated its premiere in Rome, an impressive event at the Holy Year of the Vatican. The audience will be confronted with the moving history of the 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, which experienced a number of Marien phenomena in 1858 in the “Auditorium della Conciliazione” near the St. Peter's Basilica. These experiences led to Lourdes becoming one of the most important pilgrimage locations in the world, which is highlighted by .

As the musical also conveyed, Bernadette was not only a girl of modest origin and health difficulties, but also a person of remarkable courage, who decided to remain loyal to their conviction despite all the adversities. Director Serge Denoncourt underlines that the story goes beyond faith and deals with the challenges with which marginalized groups are faced. The impressive staging takes the audience on a trip to the 19th century and reconstructs the scenery and costumes of this time in detail, as described on omniavaticanrome.org

a cultural highlight

The Berlin version, which already attracted over 400,000 spectators in France, not only has a high importance musically, but also addresses Bernadettes's inner fights against the incomprehension of its environment and their own family. Accompanied by renowned musicians and a talented team, the play tells of a young woman who was considered weak and illiterate, but was strong enough to defend their truths. This makes the musical a cultural highlight, which is to attract up to 30 million people in Rome until the beginning of 2026, as reported by kathpress.at . Bernadette's historical meaning as saints therefore remains alive not only in the church, but also in the world of performing art.