At the age of 14, Bernadette Soubirous reported encountering a “beautiful lady” between 11 February and 16 July, 1858, inside a grotto near Lourdes. This marked the start of the veneration of the Blessed Virgin of Lourdes, a devotion that has since spread throughout Europe, perhaps also in connection with the recent declaration, in 1854, of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the title under which the “lady” introduced herself to the young girl.
The grotto at Villa Pozzi cannot be called a shrine but, as is customary in the devotion of our Lady of Lourdes, a small plastic reproduction of the grotto of Massabielle. The depiction portrays the Virgin dressed in white with a blue girdle, in line with Bernadette’s description, shown kneeling while reciting the Rosary.
What distinguishes this place of devotion is its location, situated not within the Villa’s park but rather facing the street in a small room that opens in the boundary wall. A placement that seems to beckon passersby, almost inviting them to stop, a characteristic making it more than a mere private construction for the owners but one for the broader community.
