St. Mary's Basilica is a basilica located in the Archdiocese of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka.It is a great church and people should visit this church when in Bangalore. It is the oldest church in Bangalore and is the only church in the state that has been elevated to the status of a minor basilica. It is famous for the festivities held during the St. Mary's Feast in the month of September each year, an event that attracts a number of devotees from in and around Bangalore.
History
Bangalore was not a big city those days when Christianity entered Srirangapattana the capital city of the then Mysore province in the year 1648. But in Hyder Ali's tenure Bangalore has seen its first Church Drummers chapelin the Kalasipalya locality somewhere in 1724–25. When Tippu Sultan ascended the throne the Christian missionaries have to recede from Mysore. So the history of Christianity in Mysore is in dark till 1799. In the year 1799, when the British seized Srirangapattana from Tipu Sultan, the French MEP priest Fr. Abbe du Bois arrived at Bangalore and started restoring the Christian religion. He went around Somanahalli,
Kamanahalli, Begur, Gunjam, Palahalli, Doranahalli, Garenahalli, Shettyhalli etc. and visited the Christian populace there extending them the spiritual needs. He is the one first introduced vaccination in India and is the author of the famous book “Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies”. The mass vestments wore by Fr. Du
Bois are still preserved in the church at Palahalli near Srirangapattana. He built a Chapel of thatched roof in 1803 at Bili Akki Palli or colloquially, Blackpally. and offered mass there and that structure was called Kaanike Mathe Devalaya (which in Kannada means the Church of Our Lady of Presentation).That small prayer place is the location where the basilica is currently present. When the
Bangalore Cantonment was
established, a mass was
regularly held by Father
Abbe Dubois which was
attended by bothEuropean
and Indian Christians. In
1813, Fr. Abbe Dubois with
the help of Britishers
modified and enhanced the
chapel and renamed it as
Church of our Lady of
Purification, Blackpalli. Till
the recent past the
engraving of the year '1813'
was seen in front nave of
the old church where the
miraculous statue is
housed. He also created a
residence for priests in the
same year. It was
subsequently pulled down in the year 1832 due to communal riots erupted there. Later it was rebuilt and during the years 1856– 1882 it was called in its original name as the Church of our Lady of Presentation. Rev. L. E. Kleiner constructed the basilica in its current form of a majestic Gothic-style church. This new church was consecrated on September 8, 1882 by Bishop Jean- Yves-Marie Coadou, the vicar apostolic of Mysore, in the presence of 35 priests and 4,000 catholic Christians of Bangalore. The total amount spent on the construction of the church including the pulpit and statues was Rs. 29,659.
With time, the church of St. Mary's at Blackpally had become a parish and has overseen the construction of other churches at Bangalore, prominent among them being St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral (1851), St. Joseph's Church (1867) and the Sacred Heart Church, Ashokanagara (1867). The church was elevated to the status of minor basilica in 1973 through an order by Pope Paul VI. It was the sixth church in India to be elevated to this status. The area of Blackpally is no longer known by that name and it is now called as Shivajinagara. Architecture The basilica has been built in Gothic-style with arches, ornamental motifs and stained glass windows. Multiple columns and tall spires of the basilica can be seen from quite a distance. The stained glass windows were removed during World War II and were subsequently restored in 1947.
St. Mary's feast
View Larger Map St. Mary's Feast which celebrates the birth of Mother Mary is the most important festival celebrated in the basilica and is attended by thousands of people. Held in the month of September, the festivities go on for 10 days culminating in a grand chariot procession on the last day. The festivities begin with the hoisting of a
traditional flag. A feast is held on the first nine days from August 30 to S0eptember 7. On September
8, the day on which Mother
Mary was born, is celebrated as a feast. Holy mass is offered in different languages and mass marriages are conducted for the poor and needy. A thanksgiving mass is also organised for couples who have completed 50 years of marriage.Eucharistic celebrations are held on the day of the feast and a decorated chariot with the image of Mother Mary is drawn by devotees along the various streets of Bangalore.
History
Bangalore was not a big city those days when Christianity entered Srirangapattana the capital city of the then Mysore province in the year 1648. But in Hyder Ali's tenure Bangalore has seen its first Church Drummers chapelin the Kalasipalya locality somewhere in 1724–25. When Tippu Sultan ascended the throne the Christian missionaries have to recede from Mysore. So the history of Christianity in Mysore is in dark till 1799. In the year 1799, when the British seized Srirangapattana from Tipu Sultan, the French MEP priest Fr. Abbe du Bois arrived at Bangalore and started restoring the Christian religion. He went around Somanahalli,
Kamanahalli, Begur, Gunjam, Palahalli, Doranahalli, Garenahalli, Shettyhalli etc. and visited the Christian populace there extending them the spiritual needs. He is the one first introduced vaccination in India and is the author of the famous book “Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies”. The mass vestments wore by Fr. Du
Bois are still preserved in the church at Palahalli near Srirangapattana. He built a Chapel of thatched roof in 1803 at Bili Akki Palli or colloquially, Blackpally. and offered mass there and that structure was called Kaanike Mathe Devalaya (which in Kannada means the Church of Our Lady of Presentation).That small prayer place is the location where the basilica is currently present. When the
Bangalore Cantonment was
established, a mass was
regularly held by FatherAbbe Dubois which was
attended by bothEuropean
and Indian Christians. In
1813, Fr. Abbe Dubois with
the help of Britishers
modified and enhanced the
chapel and renamed it as
Church of our Lady of
Purification, Blackpalli. Till
the recent past the
engraving of the year '1813'
was seen in front nave of
the old church where the
miraculous statue is
housed. He also created a
residence for priests in the
same year. It was
subsequently pulled down in the year 1832 due to communal riots erupted there. Later it was rebuilt and during the years 1856– 1882 it was called in its original name as the Church of our Lady of Presentation. Rev. L. E. Kleiner constructed the basilica in its current form of a majestic Gothic-style church. This new church was consecrated on September 8, 1882 by Bishop Jean- Yves-Marie Coadou, the vicar apostolic of Mysore, in the presence of 35 priests and 4,000 catholic Christians of Bangalore. The total amount spent on the construction of the church including the pulpit and statues was Rs. 29,659.
With time, the church of St. Mary's at Blackpally had become a parish and has overseen the construction of other churches at Bangalore, prominent among them being St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral (1851), St. Joseph's Church (1867) and the Sacred Heart Church, Ashokanagara (1867). The church was elevated to the status of minor basilica in 1973 through an order by Pope Paul VI. It was the sixth church in India to be elevated to this status. The area of Blackpally is no longer known by that name and it is now called as Shivajinagara. Architecture The basilica has been built in Gothic-style with arches, ornamental motifs and stained glass windows. Multiple columns and tall spires of the basilica can be seen from quite a distance. The stained glass windows were removed during World War II and were subsequently restored in 1947.
St. Mary's feast
View Larger Map St. Mary's Feast which celebrates the birth of Mother Mary is the most important festival celebrated in the basilica and is attended by thousands of people. Held in the month of September, the festivities go on for 10 days culminating in a grand chariot procession on the last day. The festivities begin with the hoisting of a
traditional flag. A feast is held on the first nine days from August 30 to S0eptember 7. On September
8, the day on which Mother
Mary was born, is celebrated as a feast. Holy mass is offered in different languages and mass marriages are conducted for the poor and needy. A thanksgiving mass is also organised for couples who have completed 50 years of marriage.Eucharistic celebrations are held on the day of the feast and a decorated chariot with the image of Mother Mary is drawn by devotees along the various streets of Bangalore.
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