Basilicas in India—Other

Basilica of Bom (Good Infant) Jesus, Old Goa, Goa

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1946.

The Basilica is the burial site of St. Francis Xavier and is a World Heritage Site.  It was built by the Portuguese between 1594 and 1605 in a Portuguese Baroque style and was the first church in India to be declared a minor basilica.  The Jesuit church has marble floors inlaid with precious stones but is otherwise decorated in a simple style.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1954.

Jesuits built a church on this site in the 16th Century, but the present church was completed in 1904.  There is a week-long festival every September to honor Our Blessed Mother and to ask for her intercession.

 The first three pictures are from Wikipedia and the last is from a local source.

Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, Sardhana, Uttar Pradesh

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961.

The church was built in the early 19th Century by a woman who had converted to Catholicism from Islam and who had become the local ruler of this area.  It was designed by an Italian who modeled it at least in part after St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.  The church is the largest in North India and employs a great deal of marble and semi-precious stones.

The first picture is from a local source and the other three are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Mary, Bengaluru, Karnataka

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1973.

Churches have been on this site since the 17th Century beginning with a thatched hut.  The current Gothic Basilica was built between 1856 and 1882.  Half a million people attend an annual festival to celebrate Our Blessed Mother’s birthday in September.

The first picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary, Bandel, West Bengal

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

A church was built here by the Portuguese in 1599 but it was destroyed by the Moors in 1632.  The current church dates to 1661.

The top picture is from Catholicshrinebasilica.com and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Divine Motherhood of Our Lady, Ulhatu, Jharkhand

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

A Jesuit priest from Belgium came to this area in 1885 and within seven years increased the number of Catholics from 56 to 80,000 thanks in part to his work in bringing better living conditions to the people.  Various churches were built in this area and the current church was built in 1995.

From a local source.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Secunderabad, Telangana

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.

The Gothic Indian church was built between 1840 and 1850 to serve Irish soldiers in the British army.  It served as cathedral for the diocese until 1886.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Puducherry, Pondicherry

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011.

The Gothic Revival brick church was built between 1902 and 1907.  It contains stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ and saints of the Church.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Lawrence, Attur-Karkala, Karnataka

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2016.

The church community here dates to the 18th Century and the current Gothic church was completed in 1901.  Many miracles have been attributed to St. Lawrence’s intercession.

All pictures are from local sources except the last which is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Health, Harihar, Karnataka

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2019.

Pilgrims have come here to honor Our Lady since the 18th Century and miracles have been reported.  The current church was built in 1992. 

The top picture is from Catholicbasilicashrine.com and the bottom one is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Anthony, Dornahalli, Karnataka

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2019.

A farmer unearthed a statue of St. Anthony of Padua in the early 19th Century and built a small chapel to house the statue.  Larger churches followed including the current one built in 1969.

The first picture is from a local source and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilicas in India—Tamil Nadu

I blogged about the following basilica on June 1, 2020.

• Cathedral Basilica of St. Thomas in Chennai.

Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

Pilgrims have come to this site since two apparitions of Our Blessed Mother were reported in the 16th Century and a possible miracle was attributed to Our Lady’s intercession in the 17th Century.  Today, as many as 5 million pilgrims come every year.  Pope John Paul II referred to the Basilica as the “Lourdes of the East.”  The current Gothic building was constructed in the early 20th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows, Thoothukudi

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1982.

The church was built by the Portuguese in the 16th Century.

The first picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes, Poondi

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

The church was originally built in the early 18th Century using Gothic and French styles of architecture.  The Basilica has three statues of made in France shortly after the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes.  The building was restored in the mid-20th Century.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Holy Redeemer, Tiruchirapalli

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

Jesuits brought Christianity to this area in the 17th Century.  This church was built between 1880 and 1881 and has several oil paintings.

Pictures are from local sources.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Karumathampatti

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2019.

At least two churches were destroyed during wars until the current church was completed in 1803.

Pictures are from local sources.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Nativity, Mulagumoodu

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020.

The church was built in 1864 and has a 300-year-old statue of Mary made in Belgium.

Pictures are from a blog and Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Kamanayakkanpatti

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2023.

Christianity came to this area in the person of St. Thomas the Apostle and a Christian community remained through the centuries.  A church was built here in 1684 but burned in 1748.  It has been replaced with the current church.  A statue of Mary that survived the fire attracts pilgrims who pray for Mary’s intercession.    

The first picture is from a blog and the last two are from Wikipedia.