The Doctor in Lourdes Whose Unusual Job Is to Investigate Claims of Miraculous Healing

In the French pilgrimage town of Lourdes, one doctor has a job unlike almost any other in the world: investigating claims that people have experienced unexplained recoveries after visiting the shrine.

Dr Giana Monami works with the Bureau de Constatation Médicale, the medical office responsible for examining reported healings at Lourdes. Her work combines medical investigation with a subject that has fascinated pilgrims for generations.

Looking at Claims Through Medicine

Lourdes has long been associated with stories of people who believe they were healed after visiting the shrine. But not every reported recovery is accepted as a miracle.

The medical office examines cases and looks for evidence that a recovery cannot be explained by current medical knowledge. The process can involve reviewing medical records and consulting other doctors.

According to the BBC, 72 healings have so far been officially recognised by the Catholic Church as miracles associated with Lourdes.

A Process That Began More Than a Century Ago

The medical investigation of reported healings at Lourdes is not a recent development. The Bureau de Constatation Médicale was established in the 19th century to examine claims using medical evidence.

The organisation’s history reflects an unusual attempt to place medical scrutiny alongside religious belief. Doctors have been involved in assessing cases for generations, and medical professionals from different backgrounds have taken part in discussions.

What Makes a Case Unusual?

A reported healing must meet demanding conditions before it can progress through the recognition process. Medical investigators look at the person’s original diagnosis, treatment history and subsequent condition.

The aim is not simply to establish that someone feels better. Investigators seek evidence of a lasting recovery and consider whether there is a medical explanation for the change.

Only a very small number of reported recoveries eventually reach the level required for official recognition.

The Human Side of Lourdes

Dr Monami’s work is only one part of the story. Lourdes also attracts thousands of sick and disabled pilgrims, many of whom are assisted by volunteers known as hospitaliers.

Many of these volunteers are young people who help with transportation, meals and other practical needs during pilgrimages.

The BBC’s report describes this solidarity as another kind of “miracle” experienced by visitors: people coming together to help strangers through difficult moments.

Science and Faith in the Same Place

Lourdes is unusual because medical investigation and religious belief exist side by side. The medical bureau examines whether recoveries can be explained scientifically, while the Catholic Church ultimately decides whether a case should be recognised as a miracle.

That distinction is important. A medical finding that a recovery is unexplained does not, by itself, establish a supernatural cause.

A Job Few Doctors Could Imagine

For Dr Monami, investigating these cases means approaching extraordinary stories with medical evidence and careful examination.

Whether visitors come to Lourdes because of faith, hope, curiosity or a desire to help others, the town continues to bring together doctors, patients and volunteers around one unusual question: what can medicine explain, and what remains unexplained?

Sources

• BBC World Service — “The Miracle Doctor of Lourdes” — October 2, 2026.
• BBC World Service, Heart and Soul — “The Miracle Doctor of Lourdes” — October 2, 2026.
• Association Médicale Internationale de Lourdes — History of the Bureau des Constatations Médicales.
• Europe 1 — “À Lourdes, le docteur Alessandro de Francisis atteste des guérisons ‘potentiellement miraculeuses’” — August 15, 2024.