Colour Symbolism and Our Lady of Lourdes
Studying the symbolism of the colours worn by Our Lady of Lourdes
“Que soy era Immaculada Concepciou. I am the Immaculate Conception.”
With these words, Our Lady of Lourdes identified herself to St. Bernadette at the grotto of Massabielle in 1858. The apparitions that St. Bernadette experienced have had a profound impact on the Catholic Church, spreading devotion to Our Lady as the one conceived without Original Sin.
At each of her apparitions throughout history, Our Lady has appeared wearing unique and beautiful attire, and Lourdes is no exception. St. Bernadette described the beautiful Lady in the grotto as “a lady dressed in white. She wore a white dress, and equally white veils, a blue belt and a yellow rose on each foot.”1 With God, all things occur for a purpose as He works to bring about the good in all circumstances (cf. Rom 8:28), and Our Lady’s clothing in her apparitions is not chosen by chance.
Each of the colours in Our Lady of Lourdes’ clothing is symbolic of a truth pertaining to her Immaculate Conception. In sacred art, white is used to symbolize “[p]urity, virginity, innocent[,]…virtue…[and] holiness.” Yellow additionally symbolizes purity, as well as “renewal, hope, [and] light.” Blue, which is traditionally the colour most often associated with our lady, symbolizes “heavenly grace…[and] hope.”2
In 1854, just four years before Our Lady appeared at Fatima, Pope Pius IX solemnly declared Mary as the Immaculate Conception. God applied the merits of Christ’s Passion to Our Lady’s soul preemptively, meaning that her soul was filled with purity and holiness from the moment of her conception. Her white dress and veils at Lourdes point to this supreme holiness and purity.
The connection between the colour yellow and its symbolism of hope and light points to Our Lady’s role in the Incarnation. At the Annunciation, the Word of God became incarnate in the Virgin Mary’s womb. By accepting God’s Will, Our Lady brought forth the Light of the World Who would redeem mankind (cf. Jn 8:12). Her Son was God Himself, the Messiah for Whom men had hoped and waited for thousands of years. Through Mary, the eternal Light entered the world to dispel the darkness of sin and death forever.
Lastly, the colour blue is also fitting for Our Lady, reminding us of both her Immaculate Conception and her role in the Incarnation. Mary’s fiat at the Annunciation allowed God to fulfill His promise for which the Chosen People had hoped since the day Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. As the Immaculate Conception, Mary has been filled with “that fullness of holy innocence and sanctity” that is only surpassed by the innocence and sanctity of God Himself.3
Our Lady of Lourdes’ message remains just as relevant now as it was in 1858. She is the Immaculate Conception, and she desires to lead us closer to her divine Son. Mary’s Immaculate Conception does not detract from God’s supreme holiness but rather exalts God Himself, Who created a mortal creature in such purity and holiness in order to accomplish His Will for the redemption of mankind. The symbolism of the colours of Our Lady of Lourdes’ clothing serves as a visual reminder of this beautiful spiritual reality, a reality that should fill us with hope and a spirit of repentance as we strive to live lives of purity and holiness so that we ourselves may attain eternal salvation by the grace of God.
Our Lady of Lourdes, ora pro nobis!
“The Apparitions,” at Lourdes Sanctuaire, www.lourdes-france.org.
Mark Tidmarsh, “Symbolism of Colors,” at Catholic Saints, 2018, at www.catholic-saints.info.
Pope Pius IX, Papal Bull on the Immaculate Conception Ineffabilis Deus (8 December 1854), at Papal Encyclicals Online, www.papalencyclicals.net.
Thanks for a great article. I did my consecration to Jesus through Mary on the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, and I am still not well educated on this particular apparition because the one that has had a huge impact on my life is Our Lady of Guadalupe. She changed my life, and so did her immaculate heart.
I wear lapis blue because it’s the closest I can get to Mary blue, on Marian feast days, but for Guadalupe I often wear the colors she appeared in and would like to do that for Lourdes too next year. In fact I have head scarves in that blue that only come out on her feast days so people know that if my headcovering is done with a particular scarf, it’s a Marian feast day.
All that to say that I love articles like this. Thanks!
I love OL of Lourdes and have visited the grotto. Her dress at the various apparitions is so interesting.