Lourdes: A Place of Religious Transformations?

The transforming possibilities of pilgrimage were examined. We were especially interested in the effects of pilgrimage on the religious attributional styles of the participants. Two groups that traveled from the Netherlands to Lourdes, France--the well-known place of pilgrimage--were researched. The respondents reported impressive experiences at the place of pilgrimage; were confronted with a Christian world view; and, during the pilgrimage more than in daily life, influence was attributed to Jesus and Mary. These changes of perspective do not hold permanently, because 6 months after the pilgrimage, the influence attributed to Jesus and Mary was the same as before the pilgrimage.