Description of the attraction
The beautiful city of Bangalore, located in the state of Karnataka, is famous not only for its magnificent gardens and palaces, but also for its wonderful churches. So, one of the attractions of Bangalore is the Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary (Basilica of St. Mary). This is the oldest church in the city, moreover, it is the only one in the state that received the status of the Minor Basilica.
At the time of the "activation" of Christian missionaries in this territory (then - the Kingdom of Mysore), Bangalore was a small town. It began to develop and grow only after its conquest by the Muslim rulers Haider Ali, and later by his son Tippu Sultan. But then Christians were literally forced to leave Bangalore. They returned to this territory only with the coming to power of the British in 1799. Since then, Catholic churches began to appear in the city, including the Church of St. Mary. Its history began in 1813, when a French priest, Abbot Dubois, built a small wooden chapel, in which he held services every Sunday. Over time, in 1882, the chapel was rebuilt and turned into a large Gothic church, decorated with many openwork arches, columns, pointed narrow windows with stained-glass windows, and high spiers. And in 1973, the Church of St. Mary received the status of the Small Basilica.
Every year thousands of people come to this place for the famous festival, which takes place in September during the celebration of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. It lasts 10 whole days, during which services are held in different languages and solemn processions take place.
