Holy Rosary Church, Muthialpet, Puducherry

Holy Rosary Church, Muthialpet, Puducherry

Holy Rosary Church is a roman catholic church, located in Muthialpet in Puducherry Town in Union Territory of Puducherry. This Church is around 160 years old. It is considered as one of the oldest church in Puducherry.

Festivals

St. Rozario Festival is celebrated at the month of October. It is celebrated for 10 days. The first 9 days car procession takes place around the church. The 10^th day car procession goes to the entire street.

Connectivity

The Church is located at about 500 metres from Muthialpet Mani Koondu Bus Stop, 3 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 4 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 4 Kms from Puducherry Airport, 10 Kms from Auroville and 146 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Church is situated on Pondicherry Bus Stand to JIPMER (Gorimedu) Bus Route. Tourists can get down at Muthialpet Mani Koondu Bus Stop.

The Church is located at a walkable distance from this Bus Stop. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this Church from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai. Tourists going towards Auroville can stop here for a moment to have a glimpse of this Church.

Location

St. Theresa of Avila Church, Osudu, Puducherry

St. Theresa of Avila Church, Osudu, Puducherry

St. Theresa of Avila Church is located at Osudu Village near famous Ousteri Lake in Puducherry Town in Union Territory of Puducherry. The Church is located at about 500 meters from Osudu Eri Bus Stop, 3.5 kms from Pathukkannu Bus Stop, 9 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 10 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 10 Kms from Puducherry Airport and 150 Kms from Chennai Airport.

The Church is situated on Pondicherry Bus Stand to Pathukkannu Bus Route. Tourists can get down at Osudu Eri Bus Stop. The Church is located at a walkable distance from this Bus Stop. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this Church from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location

St. Andrew's Church, Reddiarpalayam, Puducherry

St. Andrew's Church, Reddiarpalayam, Puducherry

St. Andrew's Church is one of the oldest churches in Reddiarpalayam area of Puducherry, a Union territory in South India. The original structure was built in Gothic architecture in 1745 by Kanakaraya Mudali, the longest serving dubash of the French East India Company. During the opening of the Church, Mudali hosted a feast that included all castes and religions, the first of its kind that is recorded in the history of South India. It is believed that the Church was destroyed by the British in 1761 and was later rebuilt in 1830. It is the first Church in South India to have inscriptions made in Tamil during the times.

St. Andrew's Church is a working church with hourly prayer and daily services and follows Roman Catholic sect of Christianity. The chapel was controlled by Capuchin priests initially and then changed hands to Petite Seminaire School Fathers up to 1860. In modern times, it is under the dominion of Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. It is one of the most prominent landmarks in Puducherry.

History

The details of the church are found in the inscriptions made in the temple in Tamil, the first one of its kind in South India. Pondicherry was originally founded by 1674 by Francois Martin, while the French East Indian Company by Thaniappa Mudaliar in 1691 CE. The colony passed hands between the French and British colonial Empire till 1816 when it became a permanent colony of the French. Some accounts place that the church was built in 1675 by Capuchins following the Apostle St. Andrew. Other accounts place that the church was built in the fort by Father Ephraim de Nevers in 1642 as a temporary structure, which would go on to be modified as a permanent structure in 1675. 

As per other accounts and also the official history of the Church, it was built by Kanakaraya Mudali (1696- 1746), the grandson of Thaniyappa Mudaliyar and the longest serving dubash for the French Colonial Empire in 1745. He hosted a multi caste religious feast in the region subsequently attended by people across different castes and religions in the region. It is believed that the Church was destroyed by the British in 1761 and was later rebuilt in 1830.

Life History of Kanakaraya Mudali:

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://explore-pondicherry.blogspot.com/2018/11/kanakaraya-mudali-life-history.html

Architecture

The church is built in Gothic architecture. The altar has conventional Catholic images in the altar and a vestry for the devotees. The bust size statue of Kanakaraya Mudali is housed over his tomb in the precincts of the church. The plaques of Our Lady and St. Andrew are housed in glass chambers in standing posture on either side of the altar in the walls facing the devotees. A grotto of St. Andrews is located outside the entrance of the vestry near the entrance.

Worship Practices

St. Andrews Church was originally under the dominions of the Cathedral and later changed hands to Petite Seminaire School Fathers up to 1860. The priests in the church were originally only French, but during modern times, Tamil people were also allowed. In modern times, the Church is administered by the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. The religious activities are performed by an archbishop and two Parish priests.

Mass Timings

Mass is performed in the church from Monday to Friday on 5 a.m., 6.am. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 5 a.m., 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays. 

Feast

The feast of the church is celebrated during the Christmas times for eight days, starting with flag hoisting on 24 January and ending on 2 January. 

Connectivity

The Church is located at about 100 meters from Kamban Nagar Bus Stop, 1.5 Kms from Indira Gandhi Square Bus Stop, 3 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 4 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 6 Kms from Villianur, 7 Kms from Puducherry Airport and 148 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Church is situated on Pondicherry to Villupuram Route. Take any Villupuram Bound Bus and get down at Kamban Nagar Bus Stop to reach this Church. Buses, Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this place from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location | Photos

Saint Francis d'Assisi Church, Kuruchikuppam, Puducherry

Saint Francis d'Assisi Church, Kuruchikuppam, Puducherry

Saint Francis d'Assisi Church is located at Kuruchikuppam, a fishing village very close to White Town in Puducherry Town in Union Territory of Puducherry. This is a small but old Church located on the shores of Bay of Bengal in a fishing village. This Church opens only during mass. This is majorly servicing the locals. Visiting this church at the nights are not recommended. Tourists can enjoy the less crowded Kuruchikuppam Beach and sun rise here is worth watching. A statue of Kadalamma (Goddess of Sea), holding a child was worshipped.

The Church is situated in Kuruchikuppam, a fishing village very close to White Town in Puducherry Town. The Church is located at about 600 meters from Aurobindo Paper Mill Bus Stop, 900 meters from Ajantha Theatre Signal Bus Stop, 4 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 3 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 5 Kms from Puducherry Airport and 150 Kms from Chennai Airport.

The Church is situated on Pondicherry Bus Stand to JIPMER (Gorimedu) Bus Route. Tourist can get down at Aurobindo Paper Mill Bus Stop or Ajantha Theatre Signal Bus Stop. The Church is located at a walkable distance from these Bus Stops. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this Church from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location

Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, Villianur, Puducherry

Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, Villianur, Puducherry

Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine is a famous Marian shrine located in Villianur Town in Union Territory of Puducherry. This Church has a significant place in the history of the Catholic Church as the First Church in the World, other than that is in Lourdes – France, to be dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. The devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes in Asia in general and in India in particular has its roots in Villianur.

History

This Roman Catholic Church is devoted to Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1867, the MEP missionaries of Pondicherry wished to build a Chapel at Villianur which is 13 Kilometers away from Pondicherry on the road to Villupuram. Hence the diocese has bought a piece of land at Villianur and Rev. Fr. Gou, then procurator of the Pondicherry mission after a long negotiation with the Hindu temple authorities of Thirukameswarar Gogilambigai Temple started to build a Chapel at Kanuvapet on the outskirts of Villianur, with the amount of the thanksgiving offering of Dr. Lephine’s family for the miraculous cure of his daughter in exchange.

It had taken at least 10 years to complete the Chapel. And Rev.Fr. Tharbes a cousin brother of Bernadette, the visionary of Lourdes, was appointed as the Parish Priest of Villianur mission. Since he had a direct report of the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes. And, this seems to be the first in the world to be named after Our Lady of Lourdes outside Lourdes, France. Added to that one pious Lady has paid for a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and made it come from Lourdes under the direct supervision of Bernadette. It was on the 4th April 1877 the statue arrived at Pondicherry and was taken to the Cathedral after the three dangerous falls of the box containing the Holy Mother’s Statue.

To everybody’s amaze, the statue was intact and beautiful. And during the Statue’s stay at the Cathedral, a pious man called Thambusamy Mudaliyar, a native of Kumbakonam who was on his way to Chennai for the surgical intervention for the extra growth of flesh on his left eye, had prayed to Our Lady of Lourdes and was cured by a vision of Our Lady of Lourdes during a dream at the same night about 3 am This attracted a lot of crowd to the Cathedral and so the missionaries sent the statue soon to Villianur, on the 7th of April itself.

After some hurdles, Our Lady of Lourdes statue chose her own way to come to Villianur on the 7th April. It was in 1885 the arch bishop Laouenan went to Rome and reported the numerous miracles that took place in this Shrine to the Holy Father and got permission on February 21st, 1886 to declare this as an official Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Villianur and to crown the statue in his name.

On his return from Rome, on 8th May 1886 during a grand celebration, witnessed by around 40,000 people during the pontifical high mass the arch bishop crowned the miraculous statue in the name of the pope Leo XIII and declared this church as the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Villianur and attached permanent plenary indulgences to this shrine.

Sacred Pond:

There was a natural pond in front of the chapel. it was once used as the water reservoir for the irrigation of the lands around and water came from the big Ousteri Lake which is 10 Kms away from here. And this pond was constructed by Fr. Lesbond, the Parish Priest, with donations from Zigon organized by Mr. Lesage. Mr. Larocgue from the people in Zigon got a statue from Lourdes and in 1924 and a solemn ceremony took place to install the statue in the middle of the sacred pond after the due consecration of the statue and the pond. It is believed by the people here that the pond water is miraculous and has the ability to cure the sick and bring good fortune. This is the only Catholic church in Asia having a sacred pond in front of the church.

The Grotto:

19 years after Lourdes apparitions, the first church and grotto for Our Lady of Lourdes was constructed in 1877. The centenary celebrations were celebrated on 10 September 1977. As a remembrance of the centenary celebrations, Rev. Fr. Duissen built a big grotto in the garden of the church, which was consecrated by bishop Venmani S. Selvanather on 10 October 1978. The grotto which was inside the church was modified as per the instruction of the Second Vatican Council.

The Stations of the Cross:

In 2009, The Stations of the Cross were constructed around the 'Sacred Pond'.

The 125th Anniversary Celebrations:

In 08, October 2011, on the 125th anniversary of the crowning of the statue by the Pope, Archbishop Rev. Mgr. Antony Anandarayar crowned the Statue again with a diamond crown.

A New Church:

As the existing Church could not accommodate the growing number of pilgrims, a new Church is planned with the approval of Archbishop Most. Rev. Dr. Antony Anandarayar. On 10 September 2011, Rev. Fr. A. Arulanandam, the Vicar General of Archdiocese blessed and officially commenced the construction work for the church. Rev. Fr. C. Joseph Arumaiselvam, the procurator and many other priests were present at the event. Construction was completed in 2015.

Mass Timings

·        Week Days: 6:00 a.m – Mass

·        Saturday: 6:00 a.m, 11:30 a.m, 6:00 p.m - Mass

·        I Saturday: 5:30 a.m, 6:45 a.m, 11:30 a.m – Mass; 6:00 p.m – Mass & Car Procession

·        Sunday: 6:00 a.m, 7:30 a.m – Mass; 5:30 p.m – Mass & Car Procession

Feasts & Other Celebrations

Annual Feast:

Annual feast of Our Lady of Lourdes shrine commences with the nine days of Novena and flag hoisting on the 6th day after Easter Sunday. The car procession is done during these days. The feast day is on the 15th day after Easter. This is a Puducherry state Christian festival.

The Holy Water from Lourdes:

Every first Saturday in the month of August, The Holy Water from Lourdes Church, France is poured into the 'Sacred Pond' at Villianur Shrine. This event is attended by thousands of devotees every year.

Pilgrimage on foot:

As a sign of gratitude to Our Lady, for saving the city from a cyclone, the first pilgrimage on foot took place on 10 October 1977 from Pondicherry and this tradition is still continued on the second Saturday in the month of October. It starts from Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Pondicherry and ends in the shrine covering approximately 12 Kms.

Contact

Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, Villianur

Church Street, Villianur,

Puducherry – 605 110

Phone: +91 413 266 6363

Mobile: +91 94430 91523

Email: frsrichard@yahoo.in / s.richard@sify.com

Web: http://www.villianurshrine.com/

Connectivity

The Church is located at about 1 Km from Villianur Bus Stop, 1 Km from Villianur Thirukameswarar Temple, 2 Kms from Villianur Railway Station, 9 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 10 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 11 Kms from Puducherry Airport, 30 Kms from Villupuram Railway Station, 32 Kms from Villupuram, 152 Kms from Chennai Airport and 161 Kms from Chennai.

The Church is located on the Puducherry – Villupuram Road near Villianur Bus Stop and Villianur Thirukameswarar Temple. Bus facilities are available from both Puducherry and Villupuram. Buses are available for every 10 minutes from Puducherry Main Bus Stand and Villupuram Bus Stand. Nearest Railway Station is located at Villianur and Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location | Photos

St. Luke’s Church, Gorimedu, Puducherry

St. Luke’s Church, Gorimedu, Puducherry

St. Luke’s Church is located at Gorimedu in Puducherry Town in Union Territory of Puducherry. It comes under CSI Diocese of Madras. This Church is located in the borders of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry States. It began as a chapel for the staff working in JIPMER hospital. St. Luke’s Church is one of the eminent churches in Pondicherry. At present, this Church has 250 families with 700 communicant members. There was a significant reason in the naming of this church as St. Luke’s Church. Since this church began as a chapel for the medical staff, it is named after the gospel writer St. Luke, who was also a Physician. The Church is located very close to famous JIPMER Hospital.

The Church is located at about 600 meters Jipmer Hospital Bus Stop, 4 Kms from Puducherry Airport, 5 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 6 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station and 143 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Church is situated on Pondicherry Bus Stand to JIPMER (Gorimedu) Bus Route. Tourists can get down at Jipmer Hospital Bus Stop. The Church is located at a walkable distance from this Bus Stop. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this Church from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location

Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Puducherry

Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Puducherry

Immaculate Conception Cathedral or Eglise de Notre Dame de la Conception Immaculate Church is the cathedral mother church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. It is located in the Union territory of Puducherry. It is also known as "Samba Kovil" which is a phonetic corruption of "Saint Paul’s Kovil" where "Kovil" means church. It is a beautiful place of worship established in year 1686. This cathedral, which bears a strong resemblance to a church in France, was built in 1791 on the ruins of the older church.

Dedicated to St. Peters, it is a church of Capuchins and was first served as a small chapel situated outside the government park. In fact, it was the only surviving structure during the British invasion who aimed at mass destruction of buildings and monuments. Mass services in Tamil and English are conducted. It is one of the oldest tourist sites in the city and was visited by Mother Teresa during her visit to Puducherry. The 300 years old church is also the residence of the bishop. 

History

The Jesuit Fathers came to the French colony of Pondicherry as missionaries in 1689. There they bought a very large garden to the west of the French Fort. In the 1692 they, with the financial help of Louis XIV, king of France, erected a church which was demolished by the Dutch in the following year. A second Church was quickly built in 1699 but could not last long.

From 1728 to 1736 a large church was built on the site of the present Cathedral. This third church was razed to the ground by the British in 1761 during the Seven Years' War. Erecting in 1765 provisionally (fourth in serial) a functional kind of irregular shaped shed where the Mission Press (official press depot of the archdiocese) is now, since the year 1770 the Fathers were earnest in building the present cathedral on the foundations of the 3rd Church.

On 20 June 1791 the main work was finished and the Church was consecrated by Bishop Champenois. The Bell tower was built later. The choir loft was added in 1905. The Sanctuary was remodeled in the year 1970. The esplanade in front of the Cathedral was remodeled in 1987, to allow people to take part in liturgical ceremonies and special functions held outside. Now the church which stands for around 300 years is also the place where the bishop house is also situated. 

The Church

The imposing facade presents paired Doric columns below and ionic above. In front of the church is a statue of Our Lady with the infant Jesus in her arms. The interior design consists of eight-barrel vaults and a central dome pierced with eight circular openings. Unlike the other two main French churches, this is the oldest and not Neo gothic, being built in a Portuguese style in the late 18^th century. Like the others, it is beautiful inside and out, and worth visiting to understand the rich Catholic religious heritage the French passed on in Pondicherry.

Mass Timings

Daily:

·        5:15 AM in Tamil

·        6:15 AM in Tamil

·        5:30 PM in Tamil

Sundays:

·        5:00 AM in Tamil

·        6:30 AM in Tamil

·        8:00 AM in Tamil

·        5:15 PM in Tamil

·        6:15 PM in English

Feast

The Fest of this Church i.e., Immaculate Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary falls on the 8th of December.

Contact

Immaculate Conception Cathedral,

Mission Street,

Puducherry – 605 001

Phone: +91 413 233 2857

Connectivity

The Church is situated in the heart of Puducherry Town. The Church is located at about 200 meters from Pondicherry GH Bus Stop, 600 meters from Aurobindo Ashram Bus Stop, 2 Kms from Puducherry Main Bus Stand, 1.5 Kms from Puducherry Railway Station, 6 Kms from Puducherry Airport and 150 Kms from Chennai Airport. The Church is situated on the Mission Street on Pondicherry Bus Stand to JIPMER (Gorimedu) Bus Route. Tourists can get down at Government Hospital (GH) Stop. The place is located at a walkable distance from this Bus Stop. Taxis and Autos are also available to reach this place from any part of Puducherry. Nearest Railway Station is located at Puducherry. Nearest Airport is located at Puducherry and Chennai.

Location | Photos