Basilica of the Holy Redeemer, Trichy
Basilica
of the Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica in Trichy City in
Trichy District of Tamilnadu. The Basilica of the Holy Redeemer is one of
five Roman Catholic minor
basilicas in the southern state
of Tamil Nadu, India. Built in the Indo-Gothic style of architecture, this
church came into existence in the year 1800 when the Jesuit Missionaries began
spreading Christianity in the southern part of India.
History
The
origins of the basilica can be traced to the early decades of the 17th
century, when Jesuit missionaries began spreading Christianity through the Madurai Mission. The first conversions
occurred in the area known as Tiruchirappalli, also called "Trichy", in 1616. The
missionaries eventually got support from the Hindu Naicker rulers of
Madurai. The many Jesuit missionaries who worked in the Madurai Mission
included Robert de Nobili and Constanzo
Beschi.
While
Trichy was still a mission station of the Madurai Mission, several Christian
communities were established in Palakkarai, Dharmanathapuram, and Varaganeri. Even
before the construction of the Holy Redeemer Church, there were some 7500
Christians in the area. They worshiped at the St. Mary's Cathedral, Trichy,
rather than at Our Lady of Sorrows because the latter was under the
administration of the Portuguese
Padroado.
Realizing
the need for the Christians of Palakkarai to have a church of their own. In those days
of the British rule, Trichy was under the rule of Diwan Kanjamalai Mudaliar.
The place where the Holy Redeemer's Basilica is built and the land surrounding
it, was given by Diwan Kanjamalai Mudaliar as a token of gratitude to Rev. Fr.
Koris for a favour done to the Diwan. On February 9th, 1880, MSGR Canoz laid
the foundation for the new church.
On June
29th, 1881, a new church, well-built sturdy, full of artistic paintings and
which filled the onlookers with wonder - was elegantly built and was blessed by
Pondicherry Archbishop MSGR Lovenan in the presence of MSGR. Canoz. That such a
wonderful church was built in just 16 months is one of its special features. In
1957, when Rev. Fr. A. Thomas was the parish priest, the novena to Mother of
Perpetual Succour was started by a Redemptorist priest Rev. Fr. Francis. As
many miracles took place through Mother of Perpetual Succour, people from different
religions started coming there every Wednesday.
There
was an awakening in the people's spiritual life. In 2006, through the efforts
of Rev. Fr. A Gabriel who was the parish priest then and the recommendation of
Rt. Rev. Dr. Antony Devotta the Bishop of Trichy, Pope Benedict XVI raised this
church to the status of Basilica on October 12th, 2006. The request for the
elevation of the church to a basilica was presented to the Vatican by the Bishop of Trichy, Most Rev. Antony Devotee
while Rev. A. Gabriel was the parish priest.
The
Church
The
inner walls of this church are adorned with oil paintings of the saints and
scenes from the Old and New Testaments. In the year 1881 the 'Big Bell' was added,
a contribution from British Judge Woodroofe. It is the second biggest
bell in Tamil. In this Church 'Sagayamatha' - Mother of Perpetual Help Basilica
is venerated. The wonderful picture of Mother of Perpetual Succour is an
exquisite portrait drawn according to the norms of Eastern Art. Tradition says
that this picture was drawn by the evangelist St. Luke.
The high
roofed building has a main, wide, slightly elevated aisle flaked by sub-aisles.
The aim of this kind of design was to allow good passage of light. The high
roof design allows better aeration considering topical climate. Cato
wanted a temporary church to receive British soldiers who were on the move.
Trichy also happened to be a cantonment town. The church could accommodate 2000
people at a time. In the early 1900s with arrival the railways, Trichy was
a seat of very large population of Angelo Indians and many of them were
employees of SIR -South Indian Railways.
Festivals
Good
Friday, Easter, Happy feast of John Maria Vianney, St Xavier's feast
and Christmas celebrations are held with devotion and dedication here.
Connectivity
The Basilica
is located at about 400 meters from Prabath Bus Stop, 3 Kms from Trichy Chatram
Bus Stand, 3 Kms from Trichy Central Bus Stand, 3 Kms from Trichy Railway
Station, 8 Kms from Srirangam and 7 Kms from Trichy Airport.
Location