Bernadette Soubirous was a French peasant girl born on January 7, 1844, in Lourdes, France. She is best known for her visions of the Virgin Mary, which began on February 11, 1858, when she was just 14 years old. During these apparitions, she reported seeing a lady in a grotto, later identified as Our Lady of Lourdes. The visions led to the establishment of the Lourdes Sanctuary, a major pilgrimage site for Catholics. Bernadette became a nun and lived a life of humility and service until her death on April 16, 1879. She was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1933.