1.
Basilica
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The Latin word basilica has three distinct applications in modern English. The word was used to describe an ancient Roman public building where courts were held, as well as serving other official. To a large extent these were the halls of ancient Roman life. The basilica was centrally located in every Roman town, usually adjacent to the main forum, later, the term came to refer specifically to a large and important Roman Catholic church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope. Roman Catholic basilicas are Catholic pilgrimage sites, receiving tens of millions of visitors per year. In December 2009 the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City set a new record with 6.1 million pilgrims during Friday and Saturday for the anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Roman basilica was a public building where business or legal matters could be transacted. The first basilicas had no function at all. The central aisle tended to be wide and was higher than the flanking aisles, the oldest known basilica, the Basilica Porcia, was built in Rome in 184 BC by Cato the Elder during the time he was Censor. Other early examples include the basilica at Pompeii, probably the most splendid Roman basilica is the one begun for traditional purposes during the reign of the pagan emperor Maxentius and finished by Constantine I after 313 AD. In the 3rd century AD, the elite appeared less frequently in the forums. They now tended to dominate their cities from opulent palaces and country villas, rather than retreats from public life, however, these residences were the forum made private. Seated in the tribune of his basilica, the man would meet his dependent clientes early every morning. A private basilica excavated at Bulla Regia, in the House of the Hunt and its reception or audience hall is a long rectangular nave-like space, flanked by dependent rooms that mostly also open into one another, ending in a semi-circular apse, with matching transept spaces. Clustered columns emphasised the crossing of the two axes, the remains of a large subterranean Neopythagorean basilica dating from the 1st century AD were found near the Porta Maggiore in Rome in 1915. The ground-plan of Christian basilicas in the 4th century was similar to that of this Neopythagorean basilica, the usable model at hand, when Constantine wanted to memorialise his imperial piety, was the familiar conventional architecture of the basilicas. In, and often also in front of, the apse was a platform, where the altar was placed. Constantine built a basilica of this type in his complex at Trier, later very easily adopted for use as a church
2.
Pope
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The pope is the Bishop of Rome and, therefore, the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. The current pope is Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013, the office of the pope is the papacy. The pope is considered one of the worlds most powerful people because of his diplomatic and he is also head of state of Vatican City, a sovereign city-state entirely enclaved within the Italian capital city of Rome. The papacy is one of the most enduring institutions in the world and has had a prominent part in world history, the popes in ancient times helped in the spread of Christianity and the resolution of various doctrinal disputes. In the Middle Ages, they played a role of importance in Western Europe. Currently, in addition to the expansion of the Christian faith and doctrine, the popes are involved in ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, charitable work, Popes, who originally had no temporal powers, in some periods of history accrued wide powers similar to those of temporal rulers. In recent centuries, popes were gradually forced to give up temporal power, the word pope derives from Greek πάππας meaning father. The earliest record of the use of title was in regard to the by then deceased Patriarch of Alexandria. Some historians have argued that the notion that Peter was the first bishop of Rome, the writings of the Church Father Irenaeus who wrote around AD180 reflect a belief that Peter founded and organised the Church at Rome. Moreover, Irenaeus was not the first to write of Peters presence in the early Roman Church, Clement of Rome wrote in a letter to the Corinthians, c. 96, about the persecution of Christians in Rome as the struggles in our time and presented to the Corinthians its heroes, first, the greatest and most just columns, the good apostles Peter and Paul. St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote shortly after Clement and in his letter from the city of Smyrna to the Romans he said he would not command them as Peter and Paul did. Given this and other evidence, many agree that Peter was martyred in Rome under Nero. Protestants contend that the New Testament offers no proof that Jesus established the papacy nor even that he established Peter as the first bishop of Rome, others, using Peters own words, argue that Christ intended himself as the foundation of the church and not Peter. First-century Christian communities would have had a group of presbyter-bishops functioning as leaders of their local churches, gradually, episcopacies were established in metropolitan areas. Antioch may have developed such a structure before Rome, some writers claim that the emergence of a single bishop in Rome probably did not occur until the middle of the 2nd century. In their view, Linus, Cletus and Clement were possibly prominent presbyter-bishops, documents of the 1st century and early 2nd century indicate that the Holy See had some kind of pre-eminence and prominence in the Church as a whole, though the detail of what this meant is unclear. It seems that at first the terms episcopos and presbyter were used interchangeably, the consensus among scholars has been that, at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries, local congregations were led by bishops and presbyters whose offices were overlapping or indistinguishable
3.
Diocese of Rome
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The Diocese of Rome is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Rome. The Bishop of Rome is the Pope, the Supreme Pontiff, as the Holy See, the papacy is a sovereign entity with diplomatic relations, and civil jurisdiction over the Vatican City State within Rome. The Diocese of Rome is the Metropolitan diocese of the Province of Rome, the Catholic Church teaches that the first Bishop of Rome was Saint Peter in the first century, the incumbent since 13 March 2013 is Pope Francis. The bishop of the Diocese of Rome has, in the first place, the title of Bishop of Rome, the best evidence available for the origins of the Church in Rome is Saint Pauls Epistle to the Romans. This indicates that the church was established probably by the early 40s CE, Saint Peter became associated with this church sometime between the year 58 and the early 60s. By now the church at Rome was exercising a pastoral care that extended beyond its own community, appeals were made to Peter and Paul, with whom the Roman church was most closely identified. The city of Rome has grown beyond the boundaries of the diocese, notable parts of the city belong to the dioceses of Ostia and Porto-Santa Rufina. Ostia is administered together with the Vicariate of the City and thus included in the statistics given below and it consists of two parishes, Saint Peters Basilica and Saint Anne in Vatican. The current Vicar General for Vatican City is Angelo Comastri, Vicariate of Rome the territory under Italian sovereignty and including the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, which is the cathedral of the diocese. The Vicar General for the Vicariate of Rome is called the Cardinal Vicar, the Vicariates website lists 335 active and 5 suppressed parishes in its territory. The diocese covers a territory of 881 square kilometres of which 0.44 square kilometres is in the Vatican City State. The diocese has 1,219 diocesan priests of its own, while 2,331 priests of other dioceses,5,072 religious priests and 140 Opus Dei priests reside in its territory, as do 2,266 women religious. In 2004, they pastored an estimated 2,454,000 faithful, six of the dioceses of the Roman Province are described as suburbicarian. Each suburbicarian diocese has a Cardinal Bishop at its head, the Diocese of Ostia was merged with the Diocese of Rome in 1962, and is now administered by a Vicar General, in tight cooperation with the Vicar General for Rome
4.
Major basilica
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The Archbasilica of St. John in the Lateran is the seat of the Pope and the site of the Papal Cathedra, and is the oldest and first in rank of the Major Basilicas. All other churches that have the title of basilica are minor basilicas, the title of major basilica was introduced in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII. With the promulgation of the bull Antiquorum fida relatio, he instituted the Holy Year, Boniface VIII renewed certain great remissions and indulgences for sins which were to be obtained by visiting the city of Rome and the venerable basilica of the Prince of the Apostles. Peter and St. Paul, the burial sites of the Apostles Pope St. Peter. In the second year in 1350, Pope Clement VI designated as a third major basilica St. John in the Lateran. He encouraged the faithful to make visits to St. John in the Lateran, besides those to the Basilicas of St. Peter. Finally, for the jubilee year in 1390, the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Visiting these four churches has remained one of the conditions for gaining the Roman Jubilee indulgence, thus, while of the Major Basilicas, the Basilica of St. Consequently, all four of the Major Basilicas are patrolled internally by police agents of Vatican City State. These properties, located across Rome, are deemed to be essential institutions necessary to the character. Upon relinquishing the title of Patriarch of the West in 2006, in addition, there is a multitude of minor basilicas throughout the world which have not been granted the official appellation Papal as the aforementioned three have. To this class belong the four ancient churches of Rome, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, also called the Lateran Archbasilica, is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. It is the one called an archbasilica. Its full official name is Papal Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour and of Saints John the Baptist, St. Peters Basilica, also called the Vatican Basilica, is a major pilgrimage site, built over the burial place of Saint Peter. Perhaps the largest church in the world, it is used for most of the religious ceremonies in which the Pope participates. Its official name is the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, also known as the Ostian Basilica because it is situated on the road that led to Ostia, is built over the burial place of Paul the Apostle. Its official name is the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. e and its official name is the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. These four major basilicas are distinguished by their having a door and for being prescribed as destinations for visits as one of the conditions for gaining the Roman Jubilee. Only the Pope and his delegatees may celebrate mass at the high altar, until recently, the four churches were open 24 hours a day, their staff included a college of priests to be continually available to hear confessions
5.
Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
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It is the oldest of and has precedence among the four papal major basilicas, all of which are in Rome, because it is the oldest church in the West and houses the cathedra of the Roman Pontiff. It has the title of ecumenical mother church of the Roman Catholic faithful, the current archpriest is Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. The archbasilica stands over the remains of the Castra Nova equitum singularium, the fort was established by Septimius Severus in AD193. Following the victory of Emperor Constantine I over Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, the guard was abolished, substantial remains of the fort lie directly beneath the nave. The remainder of the site was occupied during the early Roman Empire by the palace of the gens Laterani, sextius Lateranus was the first plebeian to attain the rank of consul, and the Laterani served as administrators for several emperors. One of the Laterani, Consul-designate Plautius Lateranus, became famous for being accused by Nero of conspiracy against the Emperor, the accusation resulted in the confiscation and redistribution of his properties. The Lateran Palace fell into the hands of the Emperor when Constantine I married his second wife Fausta, known by that time as the Domus Faustae or House of Fausta, the Lateran Palace was eventually given to the Bishop of Rome by Constantine I. The palace basilica was converted and extended, becoming the residence of Pope St. Silvester I, eventually becoming the Cathedral of Rome, Pope Sylvester I presided over the official dedication of the archbasilica and the adjacent Lateran Palace in 324, declaring both to be a Domus Dei. The papal cathedra was placed in its interior, rendering it the cathedral of the Pope qua Bishop of Rome, the archbasilica and Lateran Palace were re-dedicated twice. Pope Sergius III dedicated them to St. John the Baptist in the 10th century in honor of the newly consecrated baptistry of the archbasilica, Pope Lucius II dedicated them to St. John the Evangelist in the 12th century. Consequently, the archbasilica remains dedicated to the Savior, and its titular feast is the Feast of the Transfiguration, the archbasilica became the most important shrine of the two St. Johns, albeit infrequently jointly venerated. In later years, a Benedictine monastery was established in the Lateran Palace, and was devoted to serving the archbasilica, the Lateran Palace has also been the site of five ecumenical councils. During the time the papacy was seated in Avignon, France, the Lateran Palace, two fires ravaged them in 1307 and 1361. After both fires the pope sent money from Avignon to pay for their reconstruction and maintenance, nonetheless, the archbasilica and Lateran Palace lost their former splendor. When the papacy returned from Avignon and the pope again resided in Rome, the archbasilica, the popes resided at the Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere and later at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Eventually, the Palace of the Vatican was built adjacent to the Basilica of St. Peter, which existed since the time of Emperor Constantine I, and it has remained the official residence of the pope. The original Lateran Palace was demolished and replaced with a new edifice, on the square in front of the Lateran Palace is the largest standing obelisk in the world, known as the Lateran Obelisk. It weighs an estimated 455 tons and it was commissioned by the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III and erected by Thutmose IV before the great Karnak temple of Thebes, Egypt
6.
St. Peter's Basilica
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The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, or simply St. Peters Basilica, is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome. While it is neither the church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. It has been described as holding a position in the Christian world. Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is the site of Saint Peter, one of Christs Apostles. Saint Peters tomb is supposedly directly below the altar of the Basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St. Peters since the Early Christian period, construction of the present basilica, which would replace Old St. Peters Basilica from the 4th century AD, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626. St. Peters is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The Pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year, drawing audiences of 15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Basilica or the adjoining St. Peters Square. St. Peters has many associations, with the Early Christian Church, the Papacy. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age, St. Peters is one of the four churches in the world that hold the rank of Major Basilica, all four of which are in Rome. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop, St. Peters is a church built in the Renaissance style located in the Vatican City west of the River Tiber and near the Janiculum Hill and Hadrians Mausoleum. Its central dome dominates the skyline of Rome, the basilica is approached via St. Peters Square, a forecourt in two sections, both surrounded by tall colonnades. The first space is oval and the second trapezoid, the basilica is cruciform in shape, with an elongated nave in the Latin cross form but the early designs were for a centrally planned structure and this is still in evidence in the architecture. The central space is dominated both externally and internally by one of the largest domes in the world, the entrance is through a narthex, or entrance hall, which stretches across the building. One of the bronze doors leading from the narthex is the Holy Door. The interior is of vast dimensions when compared with other churches and this in its turn overwhelms us. The nave which leads to the dome is in three bays, with piers supporting a barrel-vault, the highest of any church. The nave is framed by wide aisles which have a number of chapels off them, there are also chapels surrounding the dome
7.
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
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The Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State. James Michael Harvey was named Archpriest of the Basilica in 2012, in the 5th century it was larger than the Old St. Peters Basilica. The Christian poet Prudentius, who saw it at the time of emperor Honorius, under Pope St. Gregory the Great the Basilica was extensively modified. The pavement was raised to place the altar directly over St. Pauls tomb, a confession permitted access to the Apostles sepulcher. In that period there were two monasteries near the Basilica, St. Aristuss for men and St. Stefanos for women, masses were celebrated by a special body of clerics instituted by Pope Simplicius. Over time the monasteries and the Basilicas clergy declined, Pope St. Gregory II restored the former, as it lay outside the Aurelian Walls, the Basilica was damaged in the 9th century during a Saracen raid. In 937, when Saint Odo of Cluny came to Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, Patrician of Rome, entrusted the monastery and basilica to his congregation, Pope Martin V entrusted it to the monks of the Congregation of Monte Cassino. It was then made an abbey nullius, the abbots jurisdiction extended over the districts of Civitella San Paolo, Leprignano, and Nazzano, all of which formed parishes. But the parish of San Paolo in Rome is under the jurisdiction of the cardinal vicar, the graceful cloister of the monastery was erected between 1220 and 1241. From 1215 until 1964 it was the seat of the Latin Patriarch of Alexandria, Pope Leo XII issued a document Ad plurimas encouraging donations for reconstruction. It was re-opened in 1840, and reconsecrated in 1855 with the presence of Pope Pius IX, the complete decoration and reconstruction, in charge of Luigi Poletti, took longer, however, and many countries made their contributions. The Viceroy of Egypt sent pillars of alabaster, the Emperor of Russia the precious malachite, the work on the principal façade, looking toward the Tiber, was completed by the Italian Government, which declared the church a national monument. On 23 April 1891 the explosion of the magazine at Forte Portuense destroyed the stained glass windows. On 31 May 2005 Pope Benedict XVI ordered the Basilica to come under the control of an Archpriest, the covered portico that precedes the façade is a Neo-classicist addition of the 19th-century reconstruction. The 20th-century door includes the remains of the leaves from the portal, executed by Staurachius of Chios around 1070 in Constantinople, with scenes from the New. On the right is the Holy Door, which is opened only during the Jubilees, the new basilica has maintained the original structure with one nave and four aisles. It is 131.66 metres long,65 metres -wide, and 29.70 metres -high, the naves 80 columns and its stucco-decorated ceiling are from the 19th century. All that remains of the ancient basilica are the portion of the apse with the triumphal arch
8.
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
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The Basilica is located at 34 Piazza dellEsquilino, some five blocks southwest of Stazione Termini. Pursuant to the Lateran Treaty of 1929 between the Holy See and Italy, the Basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State and they prayed that she might make known to them how they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, at the height of the Roman summer, in obedience to a vision of the Virgin Mary which they had the same night, the couple built a basilica in honour of Mary on the very spot which was covered with snow. From the fact that no mention whatever is made of this alleged miracle until a few hundred years later and it would seem that the legend has no historical basis. The legend is first reported only after AD1000 and it may be implied in what the Liber Pontificalis, of the early 13th century, says of Pope Liberius, He built the basilica of his own name near the Macellum of Livia. Its prevalence in the 15th century is shown in the painting of the Miracle of the Snow by Masolino da Panicale. The feast was originally called Dedicatio Sanctae Mariae, and was celebrated only in Rome until inserted for the first time into the General Roman Calendar, with ad Nives added to its name, in 1568. A congregation appointed by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741 proposed that the reading of the legend be struck from the Office, no action was taken on the proposal until 1969, when the reading of the legend was removed and the feast was called In dedicatione Basilicae S. Mariae. The legend is commemorated by dropping white rose petals from the dome during the celebration of the Mass. The earliest building on the site was the Liberian Basilica or Santa Maria Liberiana, Liberiana is still included in some versions of the basilicas formal name, and Liberian Basilica may be used as a contemporary as well as historical name. This building was replaced under Pope Sixtus III by the present structure dedicated to Mary. No Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom, St. Mary Major is one of the only four that hold the title of major basilica. The other three are the Basilicas of St. John in the Lateran, St. Peters, along with all of the other four Major Basilicas, St. Mary Major is also styled a Papal basilica. St. Mary Major was associated with the Patriarchate of Antioch, Philip Neri on 25 February 1552. It is agreed that the present church was built under Pope Sixtus III, the dedicatory inscription on the triumphal arch, Sixtus Episcopus plebi Dei, is an indication of that Popes role in the construction. The church retains the core of its structure, despite several additional construction projects. Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the first churches built in honour of the Virgin Mary, was erected in the aftermath of the Council of Ephesus of 431. Pope Sixtus III built it to commemorate this decision and these fines enabled the papacy to carry out through the 5th century an ambitious building program, including Santa Maria Maggiore
9.
Minor basilica
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Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic church buildings. According to canon law, no church building can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom, presently, the authorising decree is granted by the Pope through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In relation to churches, writers on architecture use the term basilica to describe a church built in a particular style, in the 18th century, the term took on a canonical sense, unrelated to this architectural style. Basilicas in this sense are divided into major and minor basilicas. Today only four, all in Rome, are classified as major basilicas. These external signs, except that of the cappa magna, are still seen in basilicas. It should be large and with an ample sanctuary. It should be renowned for history, relics or sacred images, many basilicas are notable churches, and often receive significant pilgrimages. In December 2009 the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico set a record with 6.1 million pilgrims in two days for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As of June 30,2013, there were four major basilicas and 1,748 minor basilicas in the world, of these 1,748 minor basilicas, three have the title of papal minor basilica and four the title of pontifical minor basilica. The three papal minor basilicas are Saint Lawrence outside the Walls, Rome, and the Basilica of San Francesco dAssisi, All four pontifical minor basilicas now have individual pontifical delegates. For the Bari basilica, which is a dependency of the Secretariat of State, for the basilicas of Loreto and Pompei, which are within their own territorial prelatures, the pontifical delegate is the local territorial prelate. Only for the Paduan basilica is the pontifical delegate distinct from the local bishop, the remaining 1,741 minor basilicas are all classified merely as such. Another such Italian church, recognized as a basilica. This name, qualifying it as both pontifical and royal, is confirmed by other sources. Others are the Pontifical Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian in Bitonto, one patriarchal basilica, namely the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of St Mark in Venice, called patriarchal because it is the cathedral of the Patriarch of Venice, is a minor basilica. The minor basilicas form the vast majority, including cathedrals, many technically parish churches, some shrines. Some oratories and semi-private places of worship, have raised to the status of a minor basilica
10.
Holy See
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The Holy See, also referred to as the See of Rome, is the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, the episcopal see of the Pope, and an independent sovereign entity. It serves as the point of reference for the Catholic Church everywhere. Today, it is responsible for the governance of all Catholics, organised in their Particular Churches, Patriarchates, as an independent sovereign entity, holding the Vatican City enclave in Rome as sovereign territory, it maintains diplomatic relations with other states. Diplomatically, the Holy See acts and speaks for the whole church and it is also recognised by other subjects of international law as a sovereign entity, headed by the Pope, with which diplomatic relations can be maintained. The creation of the Vatican City state was meant to ensure the diplomatic, in Greek, the adjective holy or sacred is constantly applied to all such sees as a matter of course. The word see comes from the Latin word sedes, meaning seat, while Saint Peters basilica in Vatican City is perhaps the church most associated with the Papacy, the actual cathedral of the Holy See is the church of Saint John Lateran within the city of Rome. The Pope governs the Catholic Church through the Roman Curia, the Secretariat of State, under the Cardinal Secretary of State, directs and coordinates the Curia. The incumbent, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, is the Sees equivalent of a prime minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, acts as the Holy Sees minister of foreign affairs. Parolin was named in his role by Pope Francis On 31 August 2013, mamberti was named in his role by Pope Benedict XVI in September 2006. The Secretariat of State is the body of the Curia that is situated within Vatican City. The others are in buildings in different parts of Rome that have rights similar to those of embassies. The Roman Rota handles normal judicial appeals, the most numerous being those that concern alleged nullity of marriage and it also oversees the work of other ecclesiastical tribunals at all levels. The most important of these is the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, the Prefecture of the Papal Household is responsible for the organization of the papal household, audiences, and ceremonies. The Holy See does not dissolve upon a Popes death or resignation and it instead operates under a different set of laws sede vacante. The government of the See, and therefore of the Catholic Church, canon law prohibits the College and the Camerlengo from introducing any innovations or novelties in the government of the Church during this period. In 2001, the Holy See had a revenue of 422.098 billion Italian lire, the Guardian newspaper described Mennini and his role in the following manner. Paolo Mennini, who is in effect the popes merchant banker, Mennini heads a special unit inside the Vatican called the extraordinary division of APSA – Amministrazione del Patrimonio della Sede Apostolica – which handles the patrimony of the Holy See. The Holy See has been recognized, both in practice and in the writing of modern legal scholars, as a subject of public international law, with rights
11.
Basilica di San Nicola a Tolentino
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The church is a former cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tolentino, suppressed in 1586. It contains architecture and art from the 14th through the 17th century, the imposing marble facade of the church was constructed over the centuries, and was completed in the 17th century. Cappellone of San Nicola The Cappellone di San Nicola is a Gothic chapel that opens to the cloister, the spandrels of the chapel depict the four evangelists and four doctors of the church. The altar has a 15th-century polychrome stone statue of the saint, attributed to Niccolò di Giovanni, the saints tomb lies in the crypt. The frescoes appear to have been completed within a few decades of the death in 1305. Chapel of the Sante Braccia This chapel was erected for the veneration of the relics of the saints arms and it is entered through a 17th-century portal, which enters what was once the sacristy and leads to the 15th-century chapel, reconstructed in 1670 to accommodate more pilgrims. In 1819, the walls were decorated with marble in scagliola by Stefano da Morrovalle. In 1850 the ceiling was decorated with stars by Emidio Pallotta, in 1662, the dome had been decorated with a stuccowork depicting Paradise by Marco Antonio Baraciola, an artist from Como. The lateral walls have two large canvases, a Fire in the Ducal Palace of Venice by Matteo Stom and a Plague affecting a Venetian city by Giovanni Carboncino and they were donated in the 17th century, and erected as allegories for the miraculous interventions of the saint. The walls are replete with ex voto donations, six statues in stucco and bas reliefs beside the windows allude to the Virtues of the saint are by Giambattista Latini da Mogliano, based on designs by Pallotta. Chapel of St Anne This chapel, the first on the right, originally commissioned by the Benadduci family, the lateral wall on the left has a canavas depicting the Glory of St Lucy with two Augustinian Saints by Marcantonio Romoli, a pupil of Placido Costanzi and Sebastiano Conca. The right wall has a 17th-century Prayer in Gesthemane, chapel of the Sacro Cuore This chapel, the second on the right, has a main altarpiece depicting the Sacred Heart of Christ shown to Saint Margherita Maria Alacoque by Virgilio Monti. The wooden crucifix on the right is said to be venerated by St Nicola himself. This copy was completed by the Augustinian Giovanni Gerold and gilded by Tito Beccachiodi of Recanati, the walls were decorated with the Story of the Icon by Villebaldo Natali. Chapel of the Virgine della Pace This chapel, the fourth on the right, has an altarpiece depicting this veneration, a late 18th century painting on the right shows St Nicola releasing souls from purgatory. The altar holds the relics of the Roman martyr Lorenzina in a casket with a wax body, chapel of St Thomas of Villanova This chapel, the first on the left, has an altarpiece depicting Charity of St Thomas by Giuseppe Ghezzi. Chapel of the Beata Virgene di Consolazione This chapel, the second on the left, was commissioned by the Confraternity of Cinturati. The altarpiece depicts the Madonna pregnant between St Augustine and Ste Monica by Luigi Fontana, copied after a painting of Giovanni Gottardi in the church of SantAgostino in Rome
12.
Shanghai
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Shanghai is the most populous city proper in the world, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2014. As one of the four direct-controlled municipalities of the Peoples Republic of China, it is a financial centre and transport hub. Located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China, Shanghai sits on the edge of the mouth of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the eastern Chinese coast. The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, as a major administrative, shipping and trading city, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to trade and recognition of its favourable port location and economic potential. The city was one of five treaty ports forced open to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the First Opium War, the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking and 1844 Treaty of Whampoa allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between China and other parts of the world, and became the financial hub of the Asia-Pacific region in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, trade was limited to other socialist countries, and the citys global influence declined. In the 1990s, the reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance. The two Chinese characters in the name are 上 and 海, together meaning Upon-the-Sea. The earliest occurrence of this dates from the 11th-century Song Dynasty, at which time there was already a river confluence. There are disputes as to exactly how the name should be understood, Shanghai is officially abbreviated 沪 in Chinese, a contraction of 沪渎, a 4th- or 5th-century Jin name for the mouth of Suzhou Creek when it was the main conduit into the ocean. This character appears on all motor vehicle license plates issued in the municipality today, another alternative name for Shanghai is Shēn or Shēnchéng, from Lord Chunshen, a third-century BC nobleman and prime minister of the state of Chu, whose fief included modern Shanghai. Sports teams and newspapers in Shanghai often use Shen in their names, such as Shanghai Shenhua F. C. Huating was another early name for Shanghai. In AD751, during the dynasty, Huating County was established at modern-day Songjiang. Today, Huating appears as the name of a hotel in the city. The city also has various nicknames in English, including Pearl of the Orient, during the Spring and Autumn period, the Shanghai area belonged to the Kingdom of Wu, which was conquered by the Kingdom of Yue, which in turn was conquered by the Kingdom of Chu. During the Warring States period, Shanghai was part of the fief of Lord Chunshen of Chu and he ordered the excavation of the Huangpu River. Its former or poetic name, the Chunshen River, gave Shanghai its nickname of Shen, two important events helped promote Shanghais development in the Ming dynasty
13.
Sheshan Basilica
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Its common name comes from its location on the western peak of Sheshan Hill, located in Songjiang District, to the west of Shanghais metropolitan area. It was previously romanized as Zosé Basilica, using the Shanghainese pronunciation of 佘山, the first church on Sheshan hill was built in 1863. During the Taiping Rebellion, Jesuit missionaries bought a plot of land on the slopes of the hill. A derelict Buddhist monastery had stood on the site, the remaining buildings were demolished, and a small building was constructed as living quarters for missionaries, and a small chapel. At the peak of the hill, a pavilion was built in which was placed a statue of the Madonna. In June 1870, unrest in Tianjin led to the burning of churches there, the Shanghai Jesuits prayed at the statue of the Madonna and pledged to build a church to her honour in return for her protection. Subsequently, construction of the church began, wood was shipped in from Shanghai, and stone bought from Fujian. All material had to be ported to the peak by hand, the church was completed two years later. This first church was in the form of a cross, a veranda was placed outside the door, with ten columns. Eight stone lions were placed before the church, in 1894, several ancillary buildings were added. These included a chapel halfway down the hill, a shrine to the Sacred Heart, the Virgin Mary, fourteen Stations of the Cross were constructed along the path to the church. In 1925, the church was found to be inadequate. The church was demolished and rebuilt, because the Portuguese priest and architect Ye Zhaochang was very stringent about the quality of construction, the whole project took ten years to finish, and the church was completed in 1935. In 1942, Pope Pius XII ordained the Sheshan Cathedral a minor Basilica, in 1946, the Holy See crowned the statue of Our Lady of Zosé at the apex of the tower. During the Cultural Revolution, Sheshan Cathedral was severely damaged, the stained glass windows of the church, carvings along the Via Dolorosa, the statue atop the bell tower, and various other works of iconography were destroyed. After the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, the damage was gradually repaired, the statue was initially replaced with a simple iron cross, and a replacement statue was installed in 2000. On May 24,2008 Pope Benedict XVI announced that he had composed a prayer for Our Lady of Sheshan. The church occupies an area of 1 hectare and is about 70 feet tall and it is a rectangular Latin cross in shape, and in classical basilica form
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Roman Catholicism in India
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The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope and the curia in Rome. There are over 19.9 million Catholics in India, which represents around 1. 55% of the total population, There are 168 dioceses in India organised into 30 provinces. Of these,131 are Latin Catholic Church,29 Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and 8 Syro-Malankara Catholic Church dioceses, despite the small percentage, India has the second largest Catholic population in Asia after the Philippines, due to Indias huge population. All the bishops in India, both Western and Eastern, form the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, which was founded in 1944, the Holy Sees representative to the government of India and to the Church in India is the Apostolic Nuncio to India. The diplomatic mission was established as the Apostolic Delegation to the East Indies in 1881 and it was raised to an Internunciature by Pope Pius XII in 1948 and to a full Apostolic Nunciature by Pope Paul VI in 1967. Christiantiy reached India in AD52 when Thomas the Apostle reached Muziris in Tamilakam presently called as the Malabar Coast and he preached Christianity in Eastern and Western coasts of India These Saint Thomas Christians are known as Nasrani, which is a Syriac term meaning Follower of the Nazarene Jesus. The Christian community in India later came under the jurisdiction of Bishops from Persia, historians estimate this date to be around fourth century. As a result, they inherited East Syriac liturgy and traditions of Persia, later, when the Western missionaries reached India, they accused this community of practicing Nestorianism, a heresy that separates Christs divinity from his human nature. Today, the continuity of this early Christian community is found in the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, John of Monte Corvino, was a Franciscan sent to China to become prelate of Peking in around 1307. He travelled from Persia and moved down by sea to India, in 1291, to the Madras region or Country of St. Thomas. There he preached for thirteen months and baptised about one hundred persons. From there Monte Corvino wrote home, in December 1291. That is one of the earliest noteworthy account of the Coromandel coast furnished by any Western European. Travelling by sea from Mailapur, he reached China in 1294 and he visited Malabar, touching at Pandarani, at Cranganore, and at Kulam or Quilon, proceeding thence, apparently, to Ceylon and to the shrine of St Thomas at Maylapur near Madras. He writes he had found the place where Thomas was buried, Father Jordanus Catalani, a French Dominican missionary, followed in 1321–22. He reported to Rome, apparently from somewhere on the west coast of India, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Quilon or Kollam is the first Catholic diocese in India in the state of Kerala. First erected on 9 August 1329 and re-erected on 1 September 1886, in 1329 Pope John XXII erected Quilon as the first Diocese in the whole of Indies as suffragan to the Archdiocese of Sultany in Persia through the decree Romanus Pontifix dated 9 August 1329. By a separate Bull Venerabili Fratri Jordano, the same Pope, taking ship again for Malabar on his way to Europe, he encountered great storms. Another prominent Indian traveller was Joseph, priest over Cranganore and he journeyed to Babylon in 1490 and then sailed to Europe and visited Portugal, Rome, and Venice before returning to India. He helped to write a book about his travels titled The Travels of Joseph the Indian which was disseminated across Europe
15.
Alappuzha
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Alappuzha, also known as Alleppey, is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. Alappuzha is a municipality in Kerala with a population of 174,164. In 2016, Centre for Science and Environment rated Alappuzha as the top cleanest town in India followed by Panaji & Mysuru. Alappuzha is considered to be the oldest planned city in this region, Alappuzha is situated 28 km from Changanssery,46 km from Kottayam and 53 from Kochi and 155 kilometres north of Trivandrum. A town with picturesque canals, backwaters, beaches, and lagoons, hence, it is known as the Venetian Capital of Kerala. Malayalam is the most spoken language, hindi, English and Tamil are also spoken in the town. Alappuzha is an important tourist destination in India, the Backwaters of Alappuzha are the most popular tourist attraction in Kerala. A houseboat cruise in these backwaters can be booked and it connects Kumarakom and Cochin to the North and Quilon to the South. Alappuzha is the point for the annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race, held on the Punnamada Lake, near Alappuzha. This is the most competitive and popular of the races in India. The mullackal chirap is also one of the attractions of Allapuzha which is the season held for ten days every year in December. Communist Party members were killed by the army of the diwan,200 people at Punnapra on 24 October, the total loss of life is allegedly estimated to be more than a thousand. Coir is the most important commodity manufactured in Alappuzha, the Coir Board was established by the Central Government under the provisions of the Coir Industry Act,1955. A Central Coir Research Institute is located at Kalavoor, the name Ᾱlappuzha is a toponym. ‘Ᾱlam’ means ‘water’ and ‘puzha’ means ‘watercourse’ or ‘river’, according to Dr. Herman Gundert’s dictionary, the name refers to the network of waterways and backwaters that Alappuzha and surrounding areas are famous for. Puzhai in Tamil means gateway or window. This might have been the meaning in ancient Malayalam too. The present Alappuzha district comprises six taluks, namely Cherthala, Ambalappuzha, Kuttanad, Karthikappally, Chengannur, the area of the district is 1414sq. km. The district headquarters is located at Alappuzha, in the early first decade of the 20th century the Viceroy of the Indian Empire, Lord Curzon made a visit in the State to Alleppey, now Alappuzha
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St. Andrew's Basilica, Arthunkal
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The church, officially Arthunkal St. Andrews Forane Church, Arthunkal, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India was originally built by the Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. It was rebuilt in 1584, under the then vicar Fr, jacoma Fenicio, whom the devotees claim, possessed magical powers to heal the body and mind. Devotees fondly referred to him as Arthunkal Veluthachan, which in English translates to fair skinned father, eight years after his death, the church was rebuilt again, this time facing the west towards the long white-sand beach on the shores of the Arabian Sea. In 1647, a statue of St. Sebastian, struck with all over his bleeding body sculptured in Milan, was brought. Arthunkal St Andrews Forane Church, the first Parish of the Diocese of Alleppey was elevated to the status of Basilica on 9 July 2010, Arthunkal Basilica became the first Basilica in the diocese of Alleppey and the 7th Basilica in Kerala. It is the 3rd Basilica of the Roman Catholic Latin church of Kerala
17.
Angamaly
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Angamaly is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of the state of Kerala, India, and a fast developing satellite town of Kochi. Situated 28 km north of Ernakulam, the area is the gateway to the commercial capital of Kerala. The town lies at the intersection of Main Central Road and National Highway 47, MC Road, which starts from Thiruvananthapuram ends at Angamaly at its intersection with NH47. Originally established as a panchayat in May 1952, Angamaly became a municipality in April 1978 and is also a Legislative Assembly constituency from 1965 in the Ernakulam district, the movie Angamaly Diaries is set in Angamaly. It is one of the fastest growing towns in Kerala, thanks to the proximity of the airport, railway station. Angamaly serves as a point for various places of interest in central Kerala. With many villages surrounding it, it has become a commercial hub. Angamaly is well connected by all means of transport, Kochi International Airport is in the vicinity of Angamaly. It is a matter of pride for the people of the Angamaly as certain regions in its jurisdiction are part of this project. Angamaly railway station, where all trains stop, serves as a major connectivity point for people from the eastern side of the district to the rest of the country. There is a railway line from Angamaly to Sabarimala, which will connect the high-ranges with the low land. Work is in snails pace due to regional and political issues. National Highway 47 connecting Kanyakumari to Salem passes through Angamaly, the NH17 which connects Kochi and Mumbai is 20 kilometers from Angamaly. Main Central Road connecting Central Kerala to Kerala capital serves as an important road connecting towns in the eastern side of the state. Manjaly thodu is part of the new National Waterways programme and is getting developed, angamali is enriched with cultural and devotional centers. The new Catholic church built at the heart of the town is regarded as the biggest of its kind in India, there are famous hospitals, and educational institutions which are pride to the local population. Angamaly has an industrial estate at its southern end which has numerous renowned factories. Kerala State Bamboo Corporation Ltd. has its headquarters at Angamaly, there are several small-scale cracker manufacturing units in the surrounding areas
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Basilica of St. George, Angamaly
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St. George Syro-Malabar Catholic Basilica is a basilica in Angamaly, Kerala, India. It is the largest of its kind in South India, and this Church was established in A. D450. Angamaly was the first Syrian Archdiocese in India, established on August 29,1567 and its jurisdiction was extended whole over India till the 16th century. The most ancient University for Malpan training was established at Angamaly before the arrival of the Portughese. The Chaldean bishop Mar Abraham was ordained as the Archbishop of Angamaly diocese and Mar Hormiz Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the New Angamaly St. George Basilica was constructed under the bold leadership of late Very Rev. Fr. Paul Kariatty and it was consecrated on 31 December 2006. On 24, June 2009 Pope Benedict XVI raised St George Forane Church to the status of Basilica, the Present Rector of this Basilica is Very. Along with an underground Parish hall where weddings gatherings are commonly held and it has a large chandelier as an added accessory, switched on daily along with 2 others in each and every mass. It is one of the most Visited Churches in Kerela, along with an underground Parish hall where weddings are commonly held, it covers about 24,000 sq ft. It has a large chandelier as an accessory, switched on daily along with 2 others in each
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Bandel
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Bandel, founded by Portuguese settlers, is an urban area in Chinsurah-Mogra block in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is under Chinsurah police station and is a part of Kolkata Metropolitan Area, Bandel is a major rail junction station of Eastern Railway, it is 40 km from Howrah station. Earlier, there was a Portuguese settlement at Bandel, the Church and the Monastery were built around 1660 by the Portuguese. Bandel word derived from Portuguese word mast of ship, Bandel Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in West Bengal and a nice Tourism attraction. It is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosário, also known as Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, the keystone of an older church with the year 1599 on it adorns the riverside gate of the monastery attached to it. Bandel is located at 22°55′22″N 88°22′46″E and it has an elevation of 16 m, the main river that flows by Bandel is Ganges. The town is in Gangetic plain, climate Like the rest of the Ganges delta of West Bengal, the climate is tropical wet-and-dry in nature. A prolonged hot and humid weather is the characteristic of the climate of Bandel. The Monsoon stays from early June to mid-September, winter persists for almost three months, from mid-November to mid-February. The weather remains dry during the winter and humid during summer, Dunlop Factory, The famous Dunlop factory is situated at Sahaganj near Bandel. However, it has shut down owing to some issues in its administration. BTPS. It has since expanded and currently has a rated capacity of 530 MW. It is operated under the West Bengal Power Development Corporation and its the hub of agricultural import and export. At Bandel there are two stations, Hooghly railway station and Bandel Junction. Bandel Junction is an important railway station of Eastern Railway and is a rail station. The station is situated approximately 40 km from Howrah station on the Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line, the Bandel-Katwa meets the Howrah main line, here at Bandel Jn. Another branch line connects Bandel with Sealdah and Kolkata station via Naihati Junction, an EMU car-shed as well as a goods yard is situated in the neighbourhood of Bandel station. Like other parts of Kolkata suburban area auto rickshaws can easily be found on the roads, besides, there are buses, taxis, rickshaws
20.
Basilica of the Holy Rosary, Bandel
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The Basilica of the Holy Rosary commonly known as Bandel Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in West Bengal, India. Situated in Bandel, Hooghly district of West Bengal, it stands as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal, founded in 1599, it is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Our Lady of the Rosary. It is also a church, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta. It is one of the most prominent historical churches in West Bengal as well as in India, around the middle of the 16th century, the Portuguese began using Bandel as a port. During or around 1571, they were given permission by Akbar, as they began settling around the area, their priests began to baptise the natives - by 1598, Catholics in Hooghly numbered around five thousand, including natives and mixed races. In 1579, the Portuguese built a port on the banks of the Hooghly, as well as a fort, the following year, Captain Pedro Tavares obtained the emperors full permission to preach the Catholic faith publicly, and erect churches. Thus the Bandel Church came to be constructed in 1599 and this first church was burnt down during the sacking of Hooghly by the Moors in 1632. A newer church, constructed by Gomez de Soto, was built over the ruin in 1660, the keystone of the older church can still be seen on the eastern gate of the monastery, bearing the date 1599. On November 25,1988, Pope John Paul II declared the sanctuary a minor basilica. A ships mast stands in front of the church, it was presented to the church by the captain of a vessel that had encountered a storm in the Bay of Bengal, the church has three altars, several tombstones, an organ, and a shrine to Mary. The Palayur church still stands at the site and is considered the oldest church in India. But the wooden walls of the old church were destroyed with time, in the 17th century Reverend Fenichi enclosed the original church with a new outer building but the original altar consecrated by St. Thomas still remains at this site. Official site Hooghly District Official Website Bandel Church - India Temples Portal Tour Travel World West Bengal Tourism - Heritage of Bengal - Hooghly Bandel Church - Hooghly
21.
Bangalore
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Bangalore /bæŋɡəˈlɔːr/, officially known as Bengaluru, is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of about 8.42 million and a population of about 8.52 million, making it the third most populous city. It is located in southern India on the Deccan Plateau and its elevation is over 900 m above sea level, the highest of Indias major cities. In 1638, the Marāthās conquered and ruled Bangalore for almost 50 years, after which the Mughals captured and it was captured by the British after victory in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, who returned administrative control of the city to the Maharaja of Mysore. The old city developed in the dominions of the Maharaja of Mysore and was capital of the Princely State of Mysore. In 1809, the British shifted their cantonment to Bangalore, outside the old city, and a grew up around it. Following Indias independence in 1947, Bangalore became the capital of Mysore State, the two urban settlements of Bangalore – city and cantonment – which had developed as independent entities merged into a single urban centre in 1949. The existing Kannada name, Bengalūru, was declared the name of the city in 2006. Bangalore is sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley of India because of its role as the leading information technology exporter. Indian technological organisations ISRO, Infosys, Wipro and HAL are headquartered in the city, a demographically diverse city, Bangalore is the second fastest-growing major metropolis in India. Numerous state-owned aerospace and defence organisations, such as Bharat Electronics, Hindustan Aeronautics, the city also houses the Kannada film industry. The name Bangalore represents a version of the Kannada language name. It is the name of a village near kodegehalli and was copied by Kempegowda to the city of Bangalore, Bangalore was built on a venue earlier called as Shivanasamudram in the 16th century. The earliest reference to the name Bengalūru was found in a ninth-century Western Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a vīra gallu, in this inscription found in Begur, Bengalūrū is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890 CE. It states that the place was part of the Ganga Kingdom until 1004 and was known as Bengaval-uru, an apocryphal story recounts that the 12th century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across an old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place benda-kaal-uru, which evolved into Bengalūru. On 11 December 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted a proposal by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to Bengalūru, on 27 September 2006, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change
22.
St. Mary's Basilica, Bangalore
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St. Marys Basilica is a basilica located in the Archdiocese of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is among the oldest churches in Bangalore and is the 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. Marys Feast in the month of September each year, St. Marys Basilica had a humble beginning as a thatched hut in the 17th century, built by Tamil Christian migrants from Gingee. The Shrine was then known as Chapel of Kanikkai Madha and was located in their village where rice was grown, the rice grown in the village had a distinct white colour, and hence the settlement came to known as Bili Akki Palli or colloquially known as ‘‘Blackpally’’. (However, according to well known historian S K Aruni, Blackpally could have named after John Blakiston. With the establishment of the cantonment at Bangalore, Fr, jean Dubois led a mass for both Europeans and Indians in 1799, after the fall of Seringapatam. Jean Dubois built small chapel along with residence for the catholic priests, andreas, a priest from Pondicherry of Indian origin, expanded the church building in the shape of a cross. However this church was torn down during the riots of 1832. The current form of the majestic Gothic-style church is credited to Rev. L. E. Kleiner and it was consecrated on September 8,1882 by Bishop Jean-Yves-Marie Coadou, the vicar apostolic of Mysore. Over the years, the church of St. Marys at Blackpally became a parish and was elevated to the status of basilica in 1973 through an order by Pope Paul VI. Stained glass windows and multiple columns with a rich Corinthian capital support the arches of the Church. An annual 9 day Novena is held between 30 August and 7 September, with Mass being offered in English, Kannada and Tamil, 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 during Hyder Alis tenure in 1724-25, Bangalore saw its first Church, Drummers Chapel, when Tippu Sultan ascended the throne, Christian missionaries had to flee Mysore, thus the history of Christianity in Mysore was murky till 1799. In the year 1799, when the British seized Srirangapattana from Tipu Sultan and he went around Somanahalli, Kamanahalli, Begur, Gunjam, Palahalli, Doranahalli, Garenahalli, Shettyhalli et cetera, visiting the Catholic families there and ministering to their spiritual needs. He was one of the first to introduced vaccination in India and wrote the famous book “Hindu Manners, Customs, the mass vestments worn by Fr. Jean-Antoine Dubois are still preserved in the church at Palahalli near Srirangapattana and he built a Chapel with a thatched roof in 1803 at Bili Akki Palli or colloquially, Blackpally. and offered mass there. That structure was called Kaanike Mathe Devalaya and that small prayer house is the location where the basilica currently stands. When Bangalore Cantonment was established, a mass was held by Father Jean-Antoine Dubois which was attended by both European and Indian Catholics
23.
Chennai
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Chennai /ˈtʃɛnnaɪ/, formerly known as Madras /məˈdrɑːs/ or /-ˈdræs/) is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, it is one of the biggest cultural, economic, according to the 2011 Indian census, it is the sixth-largest city and fourth-most populous urban agglomeration in India. The city together with the adjoining regions constitute the Chennai Metropolitan Area, Chennai is among the most visited Indian cities by foreign tourists. It was ranked 43rd most visited city in the world for year 2015, the Quality of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest city in India. Chennai attracts 45 percent of tourists visiting India, and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists. As such, it is termed Indias health capital, as a growing metropolitan city in a developing country, Chennai confronts substantial pollution and other logistical and socio-economic problems. Chennai has the third-largest expatriate population in India at 35,000 in 2009,82,790 in 2011, tourism guide publisher Lonely Planet named Chennai as one of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2015. Chennai is ranked as a city in the Global Cities Index and was ranked the best city in India by India Today in the 2014 annual Indian city survey. In 2015 Chennai was named the hottest city by the BBC, National Geographic ranked Chennais food as second best in the world, it was the only Indian city to feature in the list. Chennai was also named the ninth-best cosmopolitan city in the world by Lonely Planet, the Chennai Metropolitan Area is one of the largest city economies of India. Chennai is nicknamed The Detroit of India, with more than one-third of Indias automobile industry being based in the city, in January 2015, it was ranked third in terms of per capita GDP. Chennai has been selected as one of the 100 Indian cities to be developed as a city under PM Narendra Modis flagship Smart Cities Mission. The name Madras originated even before the British presence was established in India, the name Madras is said to have originated from a Portuguese phrase mae de Deus which means mother of god, due to Portuguese influence on the port city. According to some sources, Madras was derived from Madraspattinam, a north of Fort St George. However, it is whether the name was in use before the arrival of Europeans. The British military mapmakers believed Madras was originally Mundir-raj or Mundiraj, Madras might have also been derived from the word Madhuras meaning juice of honey or sugarcane in Sanskrit. The nativity of name Chennai, being of Telugu origin is clearly proved by the historians. The first official use of the name Chennai is said to be in a deed, dated 8 August 1639
24.
St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Chennai
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San Thome Basilica is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Santhome, in the city of Chennai, India. It was built in the 16th century by Portuguese explorers, over the tomb of Saint Thomas, in 1893, it was rebuilt as a church with the status of a cathedral by the British. The British version still stands today and it was designed in Neo-Gothic style, favoured by British architects in the late 19th century. A vast majority of early writings point to St. Thomas’s apostolic ministry in India specifically Cranganore along the Malabar coast from 52 A. D to 68 A. D and his journey through Kerala resulted in numerous conversions. After spending 10 years on the Malabar coast he is said to have traveled Eastwards across the Deccan Plateau, the cave at little mount used to be his favourite preaching spot. A2000 years old never drying, miraculous stream of water on rock face is said to be an example of the apostle’s divine exploits. The church atop St. Thomas mount was built by Portuguese in 1547 to mark the spot here and it was on this St. Thomas Mount that the apostle was killed by a lance which pierced through his backside. His mortal remains were believed to be buried in the location over which the present day Santhome Cathedral Basilica stands. Sometime in the 10th century A. D a group of Nestorian Christians from Persia founded the Christian village of San Thome and this structure fell to ruins between 14th and 15th century. In 1522 the Portuguese moved the remains to a new tomb. Pope Pius XII honored the Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese of Madras - Mylapore raising it to the and rank of Minor Basilica by apostolic brief dated 16th March 1956. Massive following and immense devotion of people to an ancient image of the Blessed Virgin also known as “Our Lady of Mylapore” was among the motives that prompted the Pope to bestow this honor. There was 118 years of insecurity and uncertainty from the time the Golconda’s occupied San Thome in 1662 to 1780, no considerable changes happened to the original structure of the church built in 1523. It was only in 1893 that his Excellency Dom Henrique Jose Reed da Silva, the second small tower in the centre of the existing cathedral points to the exact place where the apostle was buried. The present Gothic style church was completed in 1896 and duly consecrated by Rt, rev. Dom Henrique Jose Reed da Silva, the first Bishop of the diocese. In 1956 the church was elevated to the status of a Minor Basilica, San Thome Basilica is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore. In 1956, Pope Pius XII raised the church to the status of a Basilica Minor, the San Thome Basilica is a pilgrimage centre for Christians in India. The church also has an attached museum. com/about/history/ Official website of San Thome Church website for San Thome Cathedral Church website for San Thome News San Thome Church Youth Group
25.
Basilica of Bom Jesus
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The Basilica of Bom Jesus or Borea Jezuchi Bajilika is located in Goa, India, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The basilica holds the remains of St. Francis Xavier. The church is located in Old Goa, which was the capital of Goa in the days of Portuguese rules. Bom Jesus is the used for the Ecce Homo in the countries of Portuguese colonization. The Jesuit church is India’s first minor basilica, and is considered to be one of the best examples of architecture in India. Construction work on the began in 1594. The church was consecrated in May 1605 by the archbishop, Dom Fr and this world heritage monument has emerged as a landmark in the history of Christianity. It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier, a close friend of St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus. Francis Xavier died on Sancian Island while en route to continental China on, the body of Francis Xavier was first taken to Portuguese Malacca and two years later shipped back to Goa. It is said that the body was as fresh as the day it was buried. The remains of the saint still attract a number of tourists from all over the world. The saint is said to have powers of healing. This is one of the oldest churches in Goa and in India, the floor is of marble inlaid with precious stones. Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the interior of the church is simple, the church also holds paintings of scenes taken from the life of St. Francis Xavier. The mausoleum, on the top of which is placed the casket with the body of St. Francis Xavier, was the gift of the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III. The mausoleum was designed by the 17th-century Florentine sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini and it took ten years to complete. The casket containing his body is made of silver, the holy relics of the saint are displayed every ten years during the anniversary of the saints death. His liturgical feast is 3 December, on the upper level, overlooking the tomb, is the Bom Jesus Basilica Art Gallery, containing the works of the Goan surrealist painter, Dom Martin
26.
Kochi
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Kochi, also known as Cochin, is a major port city on the south-west coast of India by the Arabian Sea and the Laccadive Sea and is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. It is often called Ernakulam, which refers to the specific district, occupied by the Portuguese in 1503, Kochi was the first of the European colonies in colonial India. It remained the seat of Portuguese India until 1530, when Goa was chosen instead. The city was occupied by the Dutch and the British. Kochi ranks first in the number of international and domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala. Kochi has been ranked the sixth best tourist destination in India according to a survey conducted by the Nielsen Company on behalf of the Outlook Traveller magazine. Kochi is the home to Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, Kochi is also home for Keralas National Law School, The National University of Advanced Legal Studies. Ancient travellers and tradesmen referred to Kochi in their writings, variously alluding to it as Cocym, Cochym, Cochin, the Cochin Jewish community called Cochin as Kogin, which is seen in the seal of the synagogue which is still owned by the community. The origin of the name Kochi is thought to be from the Malayalam word kochu azhi, yet another theory is that Kochi is derived from the word Kaci, meaning harbour. The name Cochin implies co-chin, meaning like-China and it looked like China when the Chinese came to the region during the 14th century and installed Chinese nets. Accounts by Italian explorers Nicolo Conti, and Fra Paoline in the 17th century say that it was called Kochchi, after the arrival of the Portuguese, and later the British, the name Cochin stuck as the official appellation. The city reverted to a closer Anglicization of its original Malayalam name, Kochi and this change in name was challenged by the city municipal corporation but court has later dismissed the plea. Kochi was the centre of Indian spice trade for centuries, and was known to the Yavanas as well as Jews, Syrians, Arabs. Kochi rose to significance as a trading centre after the port Muziris around Kodungallur was destroyed by flooding of Periyar in 1341. The earliest documented references to Kochi occur in books written by Chinese voyager Ma Huan during his visit to Kochi in the 15th century as part of Admiral Zheng Hes treasure fleet. There are also references to Kochi in accounts written by Italian traveller Niccolò Da Conti, according to many historians, the precursor state to Kingdom of Kochi came into existence in early 12th century, after the fall of the Chera Kingdom. The reign of the Kingdom was hereditary, and the family ruled over the region was known as the Perumpadappu Swaroopam in the local vernacular. Portuguese navigator, Pedro Álvares Cabral founded the first European settlement in India at Kochi in 1500, from 1503 to 1663, Fort Kochi was ruled by Portugal
27.
St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam
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The St. Marys Cathedral Basilica also St. Marys Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral Basilica, is a cathedral in Kerala, India. The cathedral was founded in 1112, and is known by the names Nasrani Palli. The church is the headquarters of the Major Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly, the present church was built in the early twentieth century under the direction of Mar Aloysius Pazheparambil and was elevated to the status of a Basilica by Pope Paul VI on 20 March 1974. The large, tall and spacious cathedral has an altar that was used by pope John Paul II, the altar depicts the birth, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The two 68-foot tall towers in the front have statues of St Peter and St Paul on top, there is also a depiction of Jesuss apparition to St Thomas
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Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Kochi
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The Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica at Fort Kochi is one of the eight Basilicas in Kerala. Counted as one of the edifices of Kerala, this church is one of the finest and most impressive churches in India. It is a place of devotion as well as a center of historic significance, endowed with architectural and artistic grandeur, the basilica serves as the Cathedral church of the Diocese of Cochin. It was built originally by the Portuguese and elevated to a Cathedral by Pope Paul IV in 1558, was spared by the Dutch conquerors who destroyed many Catholic buildings, later the British demolished the structure and pt, João Gomes Ferreira commissioned a new building in 1887. Consecrated in 1905, Santa Cruz was proclaimed a Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1984, the history of Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica begins with the arrival of Portuguese missionaries along with the second Portuguese fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral on 24 December 1500. The King Unni Goda Varma Tirumulpadu of Kingdom of Cochin received them very warmly and this caused the Zamorin of Calicut to declare war against Kingdom of Cochin. The foundation stone of the Santa Cruz church was laid on 3 May 1505 and this church was located on the eastern side of the present Children’s Park, Fort Cochin. In 1558, Pope Paul IV, raised the Santa Cruz Church to the status of a Cathedral along with the erection of the diocese in India - Diocese of Cochin. The Dutch who conquered Cochin in 1663, destroyed all Catholic buildings, only the St. Francis Church and the Cathedral escaped this fate. The Dutch made the cathedral their arms storehouse, later it fell into the hands of the British who demolished it when they took over Cochin in 1795. One of the granite pillars of the destroyed Cathedral is still kept as a monument at the southeastern corner of the present Basilica premises. About 100 years later, Bishop João Gomes Ferreira, a missionary, but it was the next Bishop, pt, Mateus de Oliveira Xavier who completed the edifice. The cathedral was consecrated on 19 November 1905 by Bishop Sebastião José Pereira, the church has two lofty spires and a remarkably bright, white-washed exterior and a pastel-colored interior. The interiors of the church are mostly Gothic, with the main altar decorated by the famous Italian painter Fra Antonio Moscheni, S. J. unfortunately, Fra Antonio Moscheni died here on 15 November 1905, four days before the newly built Church was consecrated. The paintings that adorn the ceiling depict scenes from the Via Crucis of Christ
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Mumbai
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Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named a world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West, Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires among all cities in India. The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies, during the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea. Along with construction of roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845. Bombay in the 19th century was characterised by economic and educational development, during the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon Indias independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State, in 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India and it is also home to some of Indias premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy. The city also houses Indias Hindi and Marathi film and television industry, Mumbais business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India, making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures. The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja, in 1508, Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia used the name Bombaim, in his Lendas da Índia. This name possibly originated as the Old Portuguese phrase bom baim, meaning good little bay, in 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu, Tana appears to refer to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu to Mumbadevi. Other variations recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries include, Mombayn, Bombay, Bombain, Bombaym, Monbaym, Mombaim, Mombaym, Bambaye, Bombaiim, Bombeye, Boon Bay, and Bon Bahia. After the English gained possession of the city in the 17th century, Ali Muhammad Khan, imperial diwan or revenue minister of the Gujarat province, in the Mirat-i-Ahmedi referred to the city as Manbai. By the late 20th century, the city was referred to as Mumbai or Mambai in the Indian statewise official languages of Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi, the Government of India officially changed the English name to Mumbai in November 1995. According to Slate magazine, they argued that Bombay was a corrupted English version of Mumbai, Slate also said The push to rename Bombay was part of a larger movement to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region. A resident of Mumbai is called mumbaikar in the Marathi language, the term has been in use for quite some time but it gained popularity after the official name change to Mumbai. Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands, Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli and it is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited
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Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, Bandra
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The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, more commonly known as Mount Mary Church, is a Roman Catholic Basilica located in Bandra, Mumbai. The feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated here on the first Sunday after 8 September, the feast is followed by a week-long celebration known locally as the Bandra Fair and is visited by thousands of people. The basilica stands on a hillock, about 80 metres above sea level overlooking the Arabian Sea and it draws lakhs of devotees and pilgrims annually. Many of the faithful attest to the powers of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The shrine attracts people from all faiths who pray to Virgin Mary for expressing their gratitude or requesting favours, the church was destroyed in 1738 during a raid by the Marathas. During the Bandra Fair, the area is decorated with festoons. Many pitch up stalls selling religious articles, roasted grams, snacks, wax figures of the Virgin Mary, along with an assortment of candles shaped like hands, feet and various other parts of the body are sold at kiosks. The sick and the suffering choose a candle or wax figure that corresponds to their ailment and light it in Church, in 1700 Arab pirates interested in the gilt-lined object held in the hand disfigured the statue by cutting off the right hand. In 1760, the church was rebuilt and the statue was substituted with a statue of Our Lady of Navigators in St. Andrews church nearby and this statue has an interesting legend. It goes that a Koli fisherman dreamt that he would find a statue in the sea, the statue was found floating in the sea between 1700 and 1760. A Jesuit Annual Letter dated to 1669 and published in the book St. Andrews Church, the Koli Fishermen call the statue as Mot Mauli, literally meaning The Pearl Mother. However the previous statue is now restored and now enjoys the place of honour in the basilica, both Hindu and Christian Kolis visit this shrine often giving it a kind of syncretic nature. Click here to see the Photosphere of interior, media related to Mount Marys Church, Bandra at Wikimedia Commons Official Web Site
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Pallippuram, Ernakulam
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Pallippuram is a village on Vypeen island, in the Kochi, Kerala, south India. The village is located approximately 25 km from Ernakulam and 20 km from Cochin International Airport, the east border is Veeranpuzha, the north extension of Vembanad Lake and the Indian Ocean in the west. In English, this place is known as Palliport, nearby attractions include the famous Cherai Beach, Pallipuram Fort, Munambam Fishing Harbour and Muziris beach. Pallippuram Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1503 and it is one of the oldest existing European monuments in India. The Catholic Basilica at Pallippuram known as Church of Our Lady of Snow or Manjumatha is an important pilgrim centre for Christians
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Basilica of Our Lady of Snows, Pallippuram
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The Basilica of Our Lady of Snow, Pallippuram, Ernakulam, Kerala, is a minor basilica. The basilica decree was issued on 27 August 2012, the raising of the Pallippuram church was officially announced at the conclusion of the silver jubilee celebrations of the diocese on 7 October. The history of the Our Lady of Snow Church goes back five centuries when the Portuguese built a fort at Pallippuram, the church was established in 1503, renovated in 1931 and rebuilt in 2006. The church came under the diocese of Kochi in 1557 and became a parish in 1577, the Kottapuram diocese was formed by dividing the Varappuzha diocese. In 52 AD, St. Thomas, the apostle landed in India at Maliankara near the port of Muziris and this Port was also called Muchiri because the River Periyars branches out into three before it joins the Arabian Sea. This was one of the oldest and busiest port on the West Coast of India known to the world by more than twenty different names. In the biggest ever flood known in the history of Kerala, this Port was washed off in 1341 AD, people from various places migrated to the new island. The Portuguese built a fort at Pallipuram as a watchtower in 1503 and it is the oldest existing European fort in India. At the same time, the Portuguese built a church for the believers of the surrounding area and it was the church at that time where Christians in that area gathered together for worship. During the Mysorean invasion of Kerala in the 18th century, Tipu Sultan was camped near the River Chalakkudy in order to parts of Travancore. He destroyed most of the Christian and Hindu places of worship, the local people gathered together in the church and prayed to Our Lady for her help. At that time, there was a mist spread around the church and Tipu and they thought it was part of the Arabian Sea. There was also a flood in the River Periyar and Tipu lost a huge part of his military. It was the miracle that changed the name of Our Lady to Manjumatha, in 2007, the Church celebrated its 500th anniversary. The church was renovated in 1931 and 2006, on 27 August 2012, Pope Benedict XVI issued a decree and raised its status to that of minor basilica. It is the 20th Basilica in India and the eighth in Kerala, at the time of the jubilee of the Kottapuram Diocese, the papal nuncio to India, His Excellency Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio officially declared the decree. The annual feast of Our Lady of Snow is celebrated on 5 August every year, the feast starts on the evening of 30 July. The eight-day feast is celebrated on 15 August, the Assumption of Our Lady, Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, India
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Pondicherry
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Pondicherry is the capital city and the largest city of the Indian union territory of Puducherry. The city of Pondicherry is situated in Puducherry district of the union territory and it is affectionately known as Pondy, and has been officially known by the alternative name Puducherry in Tamil since 2006. Pondicherry city consists of 42 wards, wards 1-10 are located in north of the city. Wards 11-19 are located in Boulevard Town and remaining wards are located in the southwest of the downtown, the history of the city of Pondicherry is recorded only after the arrival of Dutch, Portuguese, British and French colonialists. A marketplace named Poduke or Poduca is recorded as a Roman trading destination from the mid 1st century, the area was part of the Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram in the 4th century. The Cholas of Thanjavur held it from the 10th to 13th centuries, the Vijayanagar Empire took control of almost all of the South of India in the 14th century and maintained control until 1638 when they were supplanted by the Sultan of Bijapur. The French East India Company established this town as their headquarters in 1674, five trading posts were established along the south Indian coast between 1668 and 1674. The town was separated by a canal into the French Quarter, during the Anglo-French wars, Puducherry changed hands frequently. On January 16,1761, the British captured Puducherry from the French, the British took control of the area again in 1793 at the Siege of Pondicherry amid the Wars of the French Revolution, and returned it to France in 1814. When the British gained control of the whole of India in the late 1850s, Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam, Karaikal and Chandernagar remained a part of French India until 1954 when it was incorporated into the Indian Union along with the rest of French India. On 18 October 1954 in an election involving 178 people in Pondicherry Municipal and Commune Panchayat,170 people were in favour of independence. The de facto transfer of the French India territories form French governance to the Indian union took place on 1 November 1954, however, the formal de jure transfer of territory agreement between France and India was signed on 16 August 1962. The topography of Pondicherry is the same as that of coastal Tamil Nadu, pondicherrys average elevation is at sea level, and a number of sea inlets, referred to as backwaters can be found. Pondicherry experiences extreme coastal erosion as a result of a constructed in 1989. Where there was once a broad, sandy beach, now the city is protected against the sea by a 2-km-long seawall.5 m above sea level, today, the seawall consists of rows of granite boulders which are reinforced every year in an attempt to stop erosion. As a consequence of the seawall, Pondicherry experiences severe seabed erosion and turbulence at the coastal margin, whenever gaps appear as the stones fall into the continually eroding seabed, the government of Puducherry adds more boulders. Pondicherrys seawall has also caused beach erosion to migrate further up the coast, to the villages in Puducherry. In 2012, the Ministry of Power inaugurated the Smart Grid project in Puducherry, farming around Pondicherry include crops such as rice, pulses, sugarcane, coconuts, and cotton
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Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pondicherry
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Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, situated on the south boulevard of Pondicherry in Puducherry, India, is an oriental specimen of Gothic architecture. It contains rare stained glass panels depicting events from the life of Christ, in recent years it has become one of the famous pilgrimage spots for Christians. In the year 1895, the then Archbishop Mgr. Gandy consecrated the Archdiocese of Pondicherry to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and he wished to build a new church in devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus. Telesphore Welter, the parish priest of Nellithope prepared the building plan, fourcaud commenced the construction of the new church in 1902 at the Southern side of Pondicherry. The blessing of the church and the first mass was held at the wing of the present church by Mgr. Gandy on 17, December 1907 and the new parish surrounding this church has established on 27. 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. At the end of the Centenary Celebrations on June 2009, a request was placed through Telesphore Toppo, President of CBCI, 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 and this was officially announced by Mgr. Antony Anandarayar, Archbishop of Pondicherry and Cuddalore on July 29,2011, the Papal Nuncio to India, Salvatore Pennacchio visited the basilica on September 2,2011 and officially declared the church as a basilica in the name of the holy see. At present the basilica is headed by Rector Rev. Fr, S. Maria Joseph This 100 years old historical church is 50 mts. long 48 mts. wide and 18 mts. high with Latin rite cross shape in aerial view is in Gothic style. 24 main columns hold the structure and my eyes and my heart will be there forever. Inside the church there are 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 since the 1960s. After the arrival of parish priest Thomas in 2005 the church was renovated inside. Statues of the four evangelists were erected, beneath which there are four lamp posts describing their lives and the inviting Jesus, the Grotto for Sacred Heart of Jesus facing the City Railway Station were added and the church illuminated inside and out with chandeliers, focus and flood lights. The former parish priests of this church are, T, Welter A. Combes A. Deniaud A. Leblanc L. C. Planat H. Gaston L. Peyroutet A. Olasail S. Valanganny M. Abel P. Irudayam G. Raja I
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Ranchi
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Ranchi is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand, and now it is the most populous city of the state. The Jharkhand state was formed on 15 November 2000 by carving out the Bihar divisions of Chota Nagpur, the name Ranchi is derived from the previous name of the Oraon village at the same site, Archi. Archi derives from the Oraon word for bamboo grove or stave, according to legend, after an altercation with a spirit, a farmer beat the spirit with his bamboo stave. The spirit shouted archi, archi, archi and vanished, Archi became Rachi, which became Ranchi. One of the historically significant neighbourhoods of Rachi is Doranda, Doranda lies between the Hinoo & Harmoo Rivers, where the civil station, treasury and church established by the British Raj were destroyed by rebel forces during the Sepoy Mutiny. Ranchi has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a city under PM Narendra Modis flagship Smart Cities Mission. Ranchi is well known for being the hometown of former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, Ranchi lies at 23°22′N 85°20′E near to the Tropic of Cancer. Its municipal area is 175.12 km2, and its elevation is 651 m above sea level. Ranchi is located in the part of the Chota Nagpur plateau. Ranchi has a topography and its dense tropical forests a combination that produces a relatively moderate climate compared to the rest of the state. However, due to the deforestation, and development of the city. Although Ranchi has a subtropical climate, its location and the forests surrounding it combine to produce the unusually pleasant climate for which its known. Summer temperatures range from 20 °C to 42 degrees, winter temperatures from 0 °C to 25 degrees, december and January are the coolest months, with temperatures dipping to the freezing point in some areas. The annual rainfall is about 1430 mm, from June to September the rainfall is about 1,100 mm. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is Cwa, as of 2011 India census, Ranchi municipal corporation has a population of 1,120,374, making it the 46th largest urban city in India. Males constitute 51. 3% of the population and females 48. 7%, Ranchi city has an average literacy rate of 87. 68%. The city witnessed a surge in population after the declaration of the new state of Jharkhand in 2000. Owing to the employment opportunities and opening of numerous regional and state level offices, banks, and FMCG companies
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Basilica of the Divine Motherhood of Our Lady
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The Basilica of the Divine Motherhood of Our Lady is a minor basilica in Ulhatu, near Ranchi in India. The decree designating it as a basilica was issued on 30 November 2004, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Virgin Mary is regarded not only as the Mother of God but also as the Mother of the Church. The origins of this church can be traced back to 1903, to a village called Kawali. A village chapel was built at Kawali in 1907 and later shifted to Bhuthataur in 1948, a primary school functioned from here also and a priest attended the mass in this church. This was a time when Ulhatu still formed a part of the Ranchi Cathedral parish, in 1952 when Fr Defrijn laid the foundation of the church and school building, living in a hut. The church was established in the year 1953. Soon pilgrims started to arrive at Ulhatu, in this shrine the statue of Our Lady of Halle feeding the child Jesus is placed. There are several stories that are attached to the Mary in this parish, according to legend, when enemies attacked the city of Ranchi the locals sought her help. The statue of Our Lady received all the cannonballs of the enemies, becoming blackened and this parish happens to be within the Horal Jungle Field Firing Range. Another story which talks of a student, Constant Lievens, who went on a pilgrimage to Mary in Halle, when Lievens visited Kawali village in the year 1989, he saved the lives of people there, resulting in a movement towards the church. The story goes that Lievens was sick in Belgium and he yearned to return to the church in honor of Our Lady, Lievens died but his remains were sent to Ranchi in 1993, and his plan was implemented at Ulhatu where the shrine was blessed in 1995. The Ulhatu church has village chapels attached to it in Banpur, Barhibera, Jaratoli, Kawali, Kudagarha, Plandu, Serengtoli, there is also a St Annes Dispensary that functions at Raja Ulhatu, Ranchi serving the less-privileged members of society
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Sardhana
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Sardhana is a town and a municipal board in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 85 km northeast of New Delhi, and 13 mi from Meerut, Sardhana is famous for its cloth industry and Church. The name is derived from Saradhana, a branch of Gurjars and it was here that the Pandavas prayed before leaving for the Lakshagrah, the notorious palace made of lac by Duryodhana, at the confluence of the Hindon and Krishna rivers. This palace was located at Varnavrat, the present Barnava, where the prince resided with their mother Kunti, in the 19th century, Sardhana was the capital of the Begum Samru, born as Farzana Zebunisa in 1751, and considered to be the only Catholic ruler in India. She married in her teens, a mercenary soldier Walter Reinhardt Sombre of Luxembourg. Samru is but a mispronunciation of his surname Sombre, on his death in 1778 she succeeded to the command of his mercenary troops, and subsequently converted to Catholicism in 1781, under the name Johanna. During her lifetime she supported many charitable and religious institutions. The church she built in 1822, became a cathedral for a short time, the Bishops Palace has become a girls school. Her original palace has now become a seminary for training priests, the New Palace has become the boys school. In December 1961, Pope John XXIII conferred the dignity of Minor Basilica to the church and this dignity is given only on churches that are both beautiful and historically famous. It was also ruled by the Nawab of Sardhana, Syed Amjad Ali Shah], a grandson of Nawab Jan Fishan Khan, chief of the Paghman tribe, Amjad Ali Shahs son, Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah, was born there. Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah was the father of the Sufi teacher and writer Idries Shah, in 1901, it was the headquarters of a Tehsil, by the same name, in Meerut district, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, and had a population of 12,467. As of 2001 India census, Sardhana had a population of 47,970, males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sardhana has an literacy rate of 48%, lower than the national average of 59. 5%, male literacy is 55%. In Sardhana, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age, the main communities in sardhana are Jains, Jaats, Gujjars, Tyagis, Rajputs, Meena and Muslims. The crowd becomes violent when the police began to brandish sticks, the situation turned tense when a rumour spread that a youth injured in police action had died. Crowd set fire police jeeps and other vehicles, http, //www. sardhanachurch. org/ Nearest Old Village Mahadeo Sardhana Project Sardhan History and Genealogy
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Basilica of Our Lady of Graces
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Basilica of Our Lady of Graces is a Roman Catholic Church in Sardhana,19 km north-west of Meerut, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, also known as Churches among the Churches, is dedicated to Virgin Mary, the Church was built by Begum Samru, a Nautch girl of 14 who married a European mercenary soldier Walter Reinhardt Sombre. Samru converted to Roman Catholicism in 1781 and adopted the name Joanna Nobilis and she is regarded as the only Catholic ruler in India, and ruled the Principality of Sardhana in 18th and 19th century. The Church is the largest in North India, Begum Samru inherited the Jagir of Sardhana after her husbands death in 1778. Subsequently, she decided to construct a Church at Sardhana, dedicated to Virgin Mary, the construction of the Church costed Rs.4 lakh, a huge amount in those days. Top masons were paid the equivalent of 25 p. per day, two huge lakes near the church are the result of the mud that was removed to supply the building material for the church. Two dates are given for the beginning of the church - Mr. K. M. Munshi. Many are inclined to follow this date because a Latin inscription over the door of the church puts its dedication in 1822. The other date, given by Fr, keegan in his study of the Begum, is 1820. Begum Samru requested the Pope to make Sardhana an independent circumscription, in 1834, Pope Gregory XVI established the Apostolic Vicariate of Sardhana from the Apostolic Vicariate of Tibet-Hindustan and appointed Bishop Julius Caesar Scotti as the Apostolic Vicar. The church was the cathedral of Sardhana, however, Scotti was the only Vicar Apostolic, and eventually, the Apostolic Vicariate of Sardhana was merged into the Apostolic Vicariate of Agra. The architect of the Church was Antonio Reghellini, an Italian from the city of Vicenza, the Church is based upon St. Peters Basilica in Rome with touch of Palladio and some Indian architectural influence. The altar and its surrounds are of set with coloured stones. Much of the rest of the interior is also in marble and it is illuminated from an octagon set in the dome, from which the sun streams in. Reghellini completed the church in 11 years, near the sanctuary is a majestic 18 feet high edifice over the Begums tomb. It depicts her with a scroll from Emperor Shah Alam II bestowing upon her the fiefdom of Sardhana after her husbands death, also depicted are her adopted son David Dyce Sombre and her diwan, Rae Singh who was the great-grandfather of Motilal Nehru. The church is one of 23 minor basilicas in India and is the only minor basilica in North India
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Secunderabad
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Secunderabad, popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Telangana. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, geographically divided from Hyderabad by the Hussain Sagar lake, Secunderabad is no longer a separate municipal unit and has become part of Hyderabads GHMC municipality. Both cities are known as Hyderabad and together form the sixth largest metropolis in India. Being one of the largest cantonments in India, Secunderabad has a presence of army. The present area around Secunderabad was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty from 624 CE to 1075 CE, area around Secunderbad changed hands between various rulers and by the 18th century, the area was part of Nizams Hyderabad. Modern Secunderabad was founded as a British cantonment after the Nizam Asaf Jah II was defeated at the hands of the British East India Company, later, in 1803, Nizam Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of Hyderabad, renamed Ulwul as Secunderabad after himself. The city was formed in 1806, after the order was signed by the Nizam allotting the land north of Hussain Sagar to set up the British Cantonment. The twin cities are separated by the man-made Hussain Sagar lake, unlike Hyderabad, the official language of Secunderabad was English. Secunderabad was exempted from duty on imported goods thus making trade very profitable. Various new markets such as Regimental Bazaar and General Bazaar were created, after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the construction of a seven metre high wall was started at Trimulgherry and completed in 1867. Secunderabad Railway Station one of the largest in India which is also the headquarters of South Central Railway was established in 1874. The King Edward Memorial Hospital, now known as Gandhi Hospital was established in 1851, a Civil Jail was also established. Originally constructed in 1860 as the house of the British Resident at Hyderabad, the Residency House is now known as the Rashtrapati Nilayam. Sir Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, was posted in Secunderabad during the 1890s as a subaltern in the British Army, Sir Ronald Ross conducted his initial research on the cause of malaria in the city of Secunderabad. The original building is called the Sir Ronald Ross Institute and is located on Minister Road. Secunderabad Municipality was first formed in 1945, later in 1950, along with Hyderabad Municipality, it was upgraded to Secunderabad Municipal Corporation under the Hyderabad Corporation Act,1950. In 1960 by the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act 1955, Secunderabad Municipal Corporation was merged with Hyderabad Corporation to form a single Municipal Corporation, today Secunderabad is part of the Hyderabad district. Secunderabad celebrated two hundred years of its formation in 2006, post-Independence, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board came under the jurisdiction of the Indian Armed forces
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Thiruvaiyaru
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Thiruvaiyaru is a panchayat town in Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thiruvaiyaru is situated on the banks of the river Kaveri,13 km from Thanjavur, thiruvaaiyaru has an old Siva temple dedicated to Panchanatheeswar. Thiruvaiyaru means Five Rivers around the city, the Five Rivers are Arisilaaru, Vennaaru, Vettaaru, Kudamuruttiyaaru and Kaveriaaru. Thiruvaiyaru is the headquarters of the Thiruvaiyaru taluk, Thiruvaiyaru is a small, quiet town. However, its modesty belies its importance as a pilgrim centre, on the highway from Thanjavur, you pass five bridges over the Vadavar, Vettar, Vennar, Kudamurutti and Cauvery, the five rivers from which Thiruvaiyaru gets its name. The presiding deity of the Siva temple here, Panchanatheesvarar also gets his name from them, Thiruvaiyaru is considered as holy as Varanasi and bathing in the Cauvery here is as guaranteed to rid devotees of sins as bathing in the Ganges. Near the Siva temple is the house where Thyagaraja composed some of his greatest works. On the banks of the river is the samadhi of the saint composer, nearby are the Samadhis of some of the other saints like Siva Prakasha Swamigal and Bangalore Nagarathanamma, who actually identified and rebuilt the samadhi of Sri Thyagaraja. The Thyagaraja Aradhana festival is held in January when most of the exponents of Carnatic music come to perform and are watched by thousands of ardent fans of classical music. A huge complex is now under construction at this site to accommodate the audience that come to the concert in ever increasing numbers every year. The vast temple in town, known as Dakshina Kailasam, built in an area of approximately 60000 square meters, boasts of 5 prakaram. Several inscriptions in the temple affiliates the temple to the Cholas, Pandyas, karikala Chola, Rajaraja the great, Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan, and Krishna Devarayar are associated with Thiruvaiyaru. The temple has two divisions called Uttarakailasam and Dakshinakailasam. Uttarakailasam was built by Rajaraja Cholans queen in the late 10th century who made several endowments. Dakshina kailasam was renovated by Rajendra Cholans queen, the tEvAram trinity have composed more than 100 songs on the presiding deity of this temple town mentioned as aiyARu by them. The Tiruvaiyaru temple has also a shrine for Aatkondar or Kala Samharamoorthy, a Homa Kund started by saint Shri Adi Sankara can be found outside the shrine of Aatkondar. In the Kund a sort of incense-like called Kungaleyum is dropped in it and it is believed this wards of scorpion stings or some such bites and also gives longevity of life. The Kungaleyum is available from vendors around there hand-packed in loose papers, Thiruvaiyaru is located at 10. 88°N79. 1°E /10.88,79.1
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Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes (Poondi)
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Our Lady of Lourdes Basilica, Poondi, is a Catholic pilgrimage centre located in Tamil Nadu, South India. Poondi is a village located near Thirukattupalli in Thiruvaiyaru Taluk. Poondi is usually associated with Alamelupuram village located besides the Basilica and so is called as Poondi-Alamelupuram, in the beginning of the eighteenth century a great Italian Jesuit missionary Rev. Fr. Constantine Joseph Beschi S. J. popularly known as “Veeramamuniver” built a church and it is in the dome of this church the statue of the miraculous Lady of Poondi is placed. This miraculous statue is one of the three statues that were made in France after the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes, Rev. Fr. Darres, MEP, brought these statues from France. According to the records in the Basilica archives the French Missionary Fathers were taking care of the Pastoral Mission in Kumbakonam Diocese in the beginning of 20th Century. Mette Louis Jules started a Catechetical School in Poondi around the year 1900 to train Catechists and they wanted to demolish only the central roof without any damage to the front elevation, the doom and the altar. Fr. Lourdes Xavier was worried as it would cost too much, Fr. Lourdes Xavier, a great devotee of Our Lady, trusted and prayed to Our Lady of Poondi to reveal to him a way out to this problem. Inspired by a voice he predicted that the central roof of the church would come down on a particular day and time. This is vividly remembered and described by people even today, simon Cardinal Lourdusamy declared the Shrine of our Lady of Poondi as a permanent pilgrimage centre of our Lady of Immaculate Conception. On 03.08.1999, the shrine was declared as Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II, the present structure of the shrine has a mixture of Gothic and French architectural styles. The facade above the portico has a row of statues of the Twelve Apostles, St. Francis Xavier, the church has a relic of the True Cross, believed to be the one on which Christ was crucified
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Thiruvananthapuram
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Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located on the west coast of India near the south of the mainland. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the Evergreen city of India, Thiruvananthapuram was a trading post for spices, sandalwood and ivory. The city was ruled by the Ays and was captured by the rulers of Venad in tenth century A. D, in 1729, Marthanda Varma founded the princely state of Thiruvithamkoor and made Thiruvananthapuram the capital in 1745. It remained as a state ruled by Travancore under the loose governance of the British before joining the Indian Union in 1948. With nearly 80% of the software exports, Thiruvananthapuram is a major IT hub with the Technopark. Indias first and only magic academy, Magic Academy Research Centre run by Merlin award-winning magician Gopinath Muthukad is situated in Thiruvananthapuram, the city is home to animation companies like Toonz India Ltd and Tata Elxsi Ltd. The Kinfra Film and Video Park is one of the most advanced film and it is consistently ranked among the best cities to live in Kerala as well as India. The city was referred to as Trivandrum until 1991, when the government decided to reinstate the citys original name Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram is an ancient region with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BCE, the city was a trading post for spices, sandalwood and ivory. The early rulers of the city were the Ays and after their fall in the 10th century, in 1729, Marthanda Varma founded the princely state of Thiruvithamkoor and Thiruvananthapuram was made the capital in 1745 after shifting the capital from Padmanabhapuram in Tamil Nadu. In the mid-19th century, the city was under the reign of Swathi Thirunal, an observatory was established in 1837 with the Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library and the University College established in 1873. Several colleges were established by Moolam Thirunal, sree Moolam Assembly, established in 1904, was the first democratically elected legislative council in any Indian state. After Indian Independence in 1947, Travancore chose to join the Indian union, in 1949, Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Travancore-Cochin, the state formed by the integration of Travancore with the Kingdom of Cochin. The king of Travancore, Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma, became the Rajpramukh of the Travancore-Cochin Union from 1 July 1949 until 31 October 1956, when the state of Kerala was formed on 1 November 1956, Thiruvananthapuram became its capital. The city has a population of 752,490 according to the 2011 census, the sex ratio is 1,032 females for every 1,000 males. In October 2010, the number of wards was increased from 86 to 100 post expansion of city limits by adding Sreekaryam, Vattiyoorkavu, Kudappanakunnu, hindus comprise 68. 5% of the population, Christians about 16. 7% and Muslims form 13. 7%. The major languages spoken are Malayalam and English, in Palayam in the city centre, there is a mosque, a temple and a Christian church next to each other as neighbours, establishing the communal harmony of Keralites
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St. Mary, Queen of Peace Basilica
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It is the fourth basilica in Kerala. 2008, at the St. Major Archbishop Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos dedicated the church as the St. Mary, Kerala Minister M. Vijayakumar presided over a meeting that followed. The former Pompador Cinema Theatre in the Palayam area of Trivandrum was converted into a church, the enthronement of Archbishop Mar Ivanios took place in this pro-cathedral on the same day. The roof of the new church was made of tin sheets, in 1991 the Tin Church was replaced with a new building, Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregorios dedicated this new church to St. Mary, Queen of Peace. St. Marys Cathedral, Pattom, Trivandrum Deepika,8 December 2008
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Thoothukudi
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Tuticorin, also known as Thoothukudi, is a port city and a Municipa
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