Dominique Peyramale

Dominique Peyramale was the parish priest in Lourdes at the time of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette.

Peyramale, under instructions from the bishop of Tarbes, Monsignor Bertrand-Sévère Mascarou Laurence, never visited the grotto during any of the apparitions.

[1] Initially convinced he was dealing with a childish prank or hoax, he worked alongside the authorities in Lourdes in encouraging crowds to keep away from the grotto.

One of the projects which Peyramale embarked on was the initial expansion, and later replacement, of the original medieval parish church in Lourdes.

Despite his initial scepticism, he came to believe in the apparitions, and remained in correspondence with Bernadette after she joined the convent of Nevers.

Statue of Dominique Peyramale outside the Parish Church in Lourdes
Dominique Peyramale (1811-1877). Parish priest in Lourdes at the time of the apparitions
Stained glass window in the Parish Church in Lourdes depicting an encounter between Peyramale and Saint Bernadette . At the bottom of the image is the baptismal font where Bernadette was baptised.The stained glass is by Gabriel Loire .