Yes, Saint Bernadette was famous in her time, but not for the reasons people generally become famous. She became known as the visionary of Lourdes, France, where, at age 14, she claimed to have witnessed a series of Marian apparitions. These apparitions, although initially met with skepticism, grew in popularity and drew millions of pilgrims to Lourdes, transforming it into a major pilgrimage site. Subsequently, Bernadette became widely known throughout Europe and beyond, even before her canonization in 1933, due to the fame associated with the Marian apparitions and the subsequent miracles reported at Lourdes.