St. Mary’s Basilica

St. Mary’s Basilica is is the oldest church in Bangalore and its the only church in the state that has been elevated to the status of a minor basilica, located in the Archdiocese of Bangalore, The church is famous for the St. Mary’s Feast held annually in the month of September,  an event that attracts a number of devotees from in and around Bangalore. The church had a humble beginning as a thatched hut in the early 17th century, built by Tamil Christian migrants from Gingee. The church was well-known as the ‘Chapel of Kanikkai Madha’. It was in the year 1811, Fr. Jean Dubois built a small chapel along with a residence for the catholic priests. It was Later Rev. Fr. Andreas, expanded the church building in the shape of a cross. During the communal riots that broke out in 1832, the church was torn down and troops had to be called inorder to protect the settlement.

The current form of the majestic Gothic-style church was consecrated on September 8, 1882 by Bishop Jean-Yves-Marie Coadou, the vicar apostolic of Mysore. Over the years,the church of St. Mary’s at Blackpally became a parish and was elevated to the status of minor basilica in 1973 through an order by Pope Paul VI. The basilica has been built in the Gothic style with arches, ornamental motifs and stained glass windows. Multiple columns and the 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 the year 1947.

Address :
Msgr. F. Noronha Road, Shivaji Nagar,
Bengaluru- 560051,Karnataka.
Phone: 080-2286 5434

Website : http://www.stmarysbasilica.in/