In the 1880s, the land where the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes now stands was nothing but swamp. The church's steel framework was shipped over from France, and stood as foundation for this beautiful sanctuary along Ophir Rd. Behind the altar lies something no other church in Singapore has: a towering grotto with life-sized statues of Mother Mary and St Bernadette—its original boulders from 1888 still embedded in the wall, bearing witness to the prayers of generations. The church’s roots trace ba