Lourdes, France
In 1858, a girl named Bernadette Soubirous was out with two friends collecting fire wood. At a point where her two friends had left her behind, Bernadette was startled by a peculiar rustling sound and strong wind. When she looked up at a grotto that was nearby she noticed a golden light emanating from within. As she looked further, she saw a woman dressed in a white robe and blue sash, with a veil over her head. She was holding a rosary and had yellow roses at her feet. The lady smiled at Bernadette and asked her to pray the rosary with her. After praying, Bernadette looked up to find that the woman had vanished. After many more apparitions and townspeople accompanying Bernadette to the grotto (many of whom simply wanted to mock her as they did not believe her), the woman identified herself as Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Her purpose, she stated, was to ask all to pray and make sacrifices for sinners.
During one apparition Our Lady instructed Bernadette to dig in a certain location of the grotto to find water. As Bernadette dug, she found moist soil, then mud, and eventually flowing water. This spring still flows today at a rate of 27,000 gallons each day. Bathing in the water has resulted in many miracles that have been acknowledged by local physicians. Today, over 3 million people visit the site each year, where the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes shrine now sits.