Lourdes by Emile Zola, Fiction, Classics, Literary

Lourdes, part of Zola's Three Cities Trilogy, explores the Catholic healing shrine in Southern France. It follows pilgrims seeking cures and the doomed love between priest Pierre and sickly Marie de Geursaint. Ultimately, the story reveals that Marie's healing comes from within, not the shrine's waters, conveying Zola's deeper message.