St. Mary's Basilica - Bangalore, India

St. Mary's Basilica is the oldest church of Bangalore city in Karnataka state of India. Also, this is the only church in the entire Karnataka  state which is elevated to the status of a minor basilica. The church attracts a large number of devotees from in and around Bangalore during the St. Mary's Feast in September every year.

History:
When the British captured Srirangapatna town from Tipu Sultan in 1799 CE, the French priest Fr. Abbe du Bois arrived at Bangalore and started restoring the Catholic religion. He built a small chapel in 1803 CE in the location where the basilica currently stands. IN 1813 CE, Fr. Abbe du Bois, with the help of the British, enhanced the chapel and named as 'The Church of Purification of Our Lady'. It was destroyed in 1832 CE during the communal violence. In 1882 CE, it was rebuilt by Rev. L. E. Kleiner.

Architecture:
The spacious church is built in Gothic style in the form of a cross. The magnificent tower of the church is 160 feet high. The statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus in front of the church is a main attraction of the site. There is another statue of mother Mary located outside the main church building. It is believed that some miscreants destroyed the entire church in 1832 CE; however, when they tried to destroy this statue they couldn't do that; they lost their sight.


The interior of the church is artistically beautiful and is built in a typical Gothic style. The church also has few statues such as Jesus Christ's father, few apostles of Jesus and Mary holding the falling Jesus.

Happy travelling.

Fast Facts:

Site Name: St. Mary's Basilica
Site Type: Catholic Church
Location:  Bangalore city, Karnataka state, India
Highlights: One of the popular tourist sites in Bangalore; the oldest church in Bangalore
Nearest Railway Station: Bangalore
Nearest Airport: Bangalore
How to reach: Train, road and air
Hotel: A lot of options ranging from star hotels to budget hotels
Restaurants: A lot of restaurants - vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian, all over the city

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Comments

  1. St. Mary's Basilica really a nice to visit and what says about interior,nice..

    ReplyDelete

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