Sacred Heart Church situated on the south boulevard of Pondicherry, is an oriental specimen of Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

. It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ and saints of the catholic church. In recent years it has become one of the famous pilgrimage spot for Christians.

History

In the year 1895, the then Archbishop Mgr.Gandhi consecrated the Archdiocese of Pondicherry

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore is an archdiocese located in the cities of Pondicherry and Cuddalore in India. The Archdiocese now celebrates its 125 years of being elevatd to the status of Archdiocese.-History:...

 to the Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart

The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....

 of Jesus. He wished to build a new church in devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus. Rev.Fr. Telesphore Welter, the parish priest of Nellithope prepared the building plan and parish priest of Cathedral Rev.Fr.Fourcaud commenced the construction of the new Church in 1902 at the Southern side of the Pondicherry town.

The blessing of the church and the first mass was held at the western wing of the present church by Mgr. Gandhi on 17, December 1907 and the new parish surrounding this Church has been established on 27, January 1908.

Centenary Celebrations

The year 2008-2009 was celebrated as centenary year of founding of the parish. A special postal stamp and postal envelope were released to mark the valedictory function of the centenary celebrations.

Elevation to Basilica Status

At the end of the Centenary Celebrations, on June 2009, request was placed thru His Eminence Telesphore Toppo (President of CBCI

Catholic Bishops' Conference of India

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India is the episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of India. It was first convened in September 1944, in Madras . Currently the CBCI has 212 members and 38 honorary members, and is headquartered in New Delhi, the capital of India...

), to the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 for the elevation of this church to a Basilica.

The Holy See granted the status of minor Basilica to the Church, with a papal brief dated Friday 24 June 2011. This arrived on Friday 29 July 2011 to archbishops house. This was officially announced by Mgr. Antony Anandarayar

Antony Anandarayar

Monsignor Antony Anandarayar, born on 18 July 1945 in Varadarajanpet , is the current Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore . His Episcopal Motto in Latin is Servire in Fide et in Amore, which means To serve with Faith and Love.He is well versed in Tamil, English,...

, Archbishop of Pondicherry and Cuddalore on July 29, 2011. The Papal Nuncio to India, His Excellency, Salvatore Pennacchio (Titular Archbishop of Montemarano) visited the basilica on September 2, 2011 and officially declared the church as a Basilica in the name of the holy see.

Structure

This 100 years old historical Church is 50 mts. long 48 mts. wide and 18 mts. high with latin rite cross shape in ariel view is in Gothic style. 24 main columns hold the structure. The biblical verse from 2 Chronicles 7:16 is written above the entrance door in Latin "sanctificavi locum istum, ut sit nomen meum ibi" which means "I have consecrated this house, that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there forever.". Inside the church we can see Glass pictures of 28 saints who were related to the devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus.

This 100 year old Church has been led by twenty parish priests. The Grotto for Our Lady of Lourdes, Parish Hall, Adoration chapel and the new parish community hall were some of the development of this church in the lat 50 years.After 2005,that is after the arrival of the present Parish Priest Rev.Fr.Thomas, the church has been fully renovated both in and out.

Statues for the four Evangelists has been erected beneath which four lamp post describing the life of four Evangelists and the inviting Jesus and the twelve apostles on the front facade have also been erected. The Grotto for Sacred Heart of Jesus facing the City Railway Station are new additions and church has been illuminated in and out with chandeliers, focus and flood lights.

Leadership

The former parish priests of this church are:

• Rev. Fr. T. Welter (1902–1909)
• Rev. Fr. A. Combes (1909–1910)
• Rev. Fr. A. Deniaud (1911–1917)
• Rev. Fr. A. Leblanc (1917–1924)
• Rev. Fr. L.C. Renoux(1925 - )
• Rev. Fr. P.M. Planat (1925–1931)
• Rev. Fr. H. Gaston (1937–1945)
• Rev. Fr. L. Peyroutet (1945–1947)
• Rev. Fr. A. Olasail (1947–1953)
• Rev. Fr. S. Valanganny (1954–1956)
• Rev. Fr. M. Abel (1956–1963)
• Rev. Fr. P. Irudayam (1963–1972)
• Rev. Fr. G. Raja (1972–1980)
• Rev. Fr. I. Gnanamanikam (1980–1982)
• Rev. Fr. P. Gnanapragasam (1982–1988)
• Rev. Fr. P. P. Xavier (1988–1989)
• Rev. Fr. A. Mariasusai (1988–1989)
• Rev. Fr. L. Maguimey (1989–1996)
• Rev. Fr. G. Jacob (1996–2005)
• Rev. Fr. A. Thomas (2005 - )