Blessing faithful, soothing the eye

BANGALORE: In September every year, the whole of Cantonment area is awash in fluorescent pink for a week as lakhs of devotees congregate for the feast of St Mary's Basilica. Located in the midst of bustling Shivajinagar, flanked by busy business streets and the famous Russel Market, the Basilica has stood for centuries, offering succour to the faithful and being a testimony to Bangalore's colonial past.
The earliest reference to the Basilica goes back to 1685 when it was reportedly built as a small prayer place. There are also references which say it was built as a chapel, though the date differs from 1811 to 1818.
Most accounts, however, agree that it was built by Abbe Dubois. Subsequently, it was rebuilt; but here again, there are a lot of differences. Some say it was done in 1833, while others say it was converted into an ornate Gothic-style church around 1880-82 by the Rev L E Kleiner.
The church continues with this kind of interesting history. In the late 19th century, a large number of stained glass windows were shipped from Paris and mounted on the windows of the church. They were, however, removed during the World War II and then restored in 1947.
The Church was given the status of Basilica (then the Sixth in India) in 1973 through an order by Pope John Paul VI. (A basilica gets special privileges from the Pope; a church is designated a basilica if it is a pilgrim centre. It is believed that visiting a basilica once a year bestows special blessings on the devotees.
The St Mary's is a minor basilica, according to Papal categorisation). Needless to say, the Basilica is architecturally rich. The interior is as ornamental as its exterior, with an abundance of arches, ornamental motifs and stained glass windows, still in full glory.
Of special interest are the multiple columns and tall spires mounted by crosses. The basilica towers over all the neighbouring buildings and can be seen from a distance.
The week-long feast ends with a mammoth procession where the statue of Mary is carried on a chariot. During the rest of the year, Saturdays are especially crowded as thousands of devotees gather to seek blessings.