PilgrimstaysThe history of St Mary’s Basilica, Bangalore goes back to 1803, when the French MEP priest Fr Jean-Antoine Dubois built a small thatched roof chapel at Bili Akki Palli which is the present day Shivajinagar. The structure was called Kaanike Mathe Devalaya, which in Kannada means the Church of Our Lady of the Presentation. That small prayer house is the location where the Basilica currently stands. Bangalore already had its first church named Drummer’s Chapel, located in the present day Kalasipalaya locality. When Tippu Sultan took over as the ruler of Mysore, the Christian missionaries had to flee the place and could return only after his death at the hands of the British in 1799. It was Fr Jean-Antoine Dubois, to whom the task of restoring Christianity in the region fell. He is one of the first to have introduced vaccination to India. The famous book Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies was written by Fr Dubois. St Mary’s Basilica, Bangalore was rebuilt during the years 1856–1882 under its original name, the Church of Our Lady of the Presentation. The present day church which dominates the Shivajinagar area and built in the shape of a cross, is a fine example of Gothic style architecture. It was consecrated on 8 September 1882 by Bishop Jean-Yves-Marie Coadou, the Vicar Apostolic of Mysore. St Mary’s Basilica, Bangalore was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1973 through an edict issued by Pope Paul VI. Each year a Novena is held at St Mary’s Basilica, Bangalore from 29th August to 7th September and concludes on September 8th, the Nativity of Our Lady. Mass is offered in different languages and mass marriages are conducted for the poor and needy. A thanksgiving Mass is also organized for couples who have completed 50 years of marriage. Eucharistic celebrations are held on the day of the feast and a decorated chariot with the image of Mother Mary is drawn by devotees along the various streets of Bangalore.
The history of St Mary’s Basilica, Bangalore goes back to 1803, when the French MEP priest Fr Jean-Antoine Dubois built a small thatched roof chapel at Bili Akki Palli which is the present day Shivajinagar
Bangalore already had its first church named Drummer’s Chapel, located in the present day Kalasipalaya locality
He is one of the first to have introduced vaccination to India
St Mary’s Basilica, Bangalore was rebuilt during the years 1856–1882 under its original name, the Church of Our Lady of the Presentation
The present day church which dominates the Shivajinagar area and built in the shape of a cross, is a fine example of Gothic style architecture
The Gothic spire and facade of St Mary's Basilica — rising above the Shivajinagar streetscape — are among the most recognisable images of colonial-era Bangalore. The pointed arches, the stained glass, the verticality of the Gothic idiom in a tropical Indian city create the distinctive visual character of the basilica.
The image of Our Lady of Health — Arogya Matha — is the devotional centre of the basilica. Pilgrims bring their medical petitions, their sick family members, their chronic conditions, and their unhealed wounds to the image. The tradition of healing Marian shrines in India — cutting across Hindu, Muslim, and Christian devotional boundaries — is one of the most powerful expressions of popular religiosity.
The Thursday morning novena Mass to Our Lady of Health draws thousands of regular devotees — people who come every week to maintain their relationship with the basilica and to bring their continuing needs. The regularity of the Thursday gathering creates a community of devotion whose members know each other, pray together, and share in the continuing miracle of weekly encounter.
The September feast at St Mary's is one of the most significant Catholic gatherings in Bangalore — a week of special Masses, processions, outdoor events, and pilgrimage traffic that fills the Shivajinagar area. The outdoor procession on the feast day, with the image of Our Lady carried through the streets, is the visual high point of the year.
The Discalced Carmelites who founded the mission in 1818 brought the Teresian tradition of prayer — the Interior Castle of Teresa of Avila, the Dark Night of John of the Cross — to Bangalore. The contemplative depth of Carmelite spirituality underlies the healing shrine that grew from the mission. Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Health are different aspects of the same Marian devotion.
Arogya Matha: Our Lady of Health. The title is simple and direct. Not Our Lady of Theology, not Our Lady of Correct Doctrine, not Our Lady of Institutional Belonging. Our Lady of Health. People who are sick come here. People who have sick family members come here. People whose wounds are not physical come here. The basilica asks nothing by way of religious credentials — just the willingness to bring the need. The million who come every year have various needs. The image receives all of them.
“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →The history of St Mary’s Basilica, Bangalore goes back to 1803, when the French MEP priest Fr Jean-Antoine Dubois built a small thatched-roof chapel at Bili Akki Palli, which is present-day Shivajinagar. The structure was called Kaanike Mathe Devalaya, which in Kannada means the Church of Our Lady of the Presentation. That small prayer house is the location where the Basilica currently stands.
Bangalore already had its first church, named Drummer’s Chapel, located in the present-day Kalasipalaya locality. When Tippu Sultan took over as the ruler of Mysore, the Christian missionaries had to flee the place and could return only after his death at the hands of the British in 1799. It was Fr Jean-Antoine Dubois to whom the task of restoring Christianity in the region fell. He is one of the first to have introduced vaccination to India, and the famous book Hindu Manners, Customs and Ceremonies was written by him.
St Mary’s Basilica was rebuilt during the years 1856–1882 under its original name, the Church of Our Lady of the Presentation. The present-day church, which dominates the Shivajinagar area and is built in the shape of a cross, is a fine example of Gothic-style architecture. It was consecrated on 8 September 1882 by Bishop Jean-Yves-Marie Coadou, the Vicar Apostolic of Mysore. The Basilica was elevated to the status of a minor basilica in 1973 through an edict issued by Pope Paul VI.
Each year a Novena is held at St Mary’s Basilica from 29 August to 7 September, concluding on 8 September, the Nativity of Our Lady. Mass is offered in different languages, and mass marriages are conducted for the poor and needy. A thanksgiving Mass is also organised for couples who have completed 50 years of marriage. Eucharistic celebrations are held on the day of the feast, and a decorated chariot with the image of Mother Mary is drawn by devotees along the various streets of Bangalore.
