St. Mary's Basilica Bangalore

St. Mary's Basilica, one of the oldest churches in Karnataka and the only church in the state to be elevated into minor Basilica, this 17th century church is located in Shivaji Nagar. The history of the shrine goes back to the 17th Century when few Christians from Tamil Nadu reached here to settle. They found that the land was fertile to sow rice. They built a thatched hut and named it as 'Chapel of Kanikkai Matha'. In 1799, Fr. Jean Dubois came here with the English troops at the siege of Srirangapatna.

When the Cantonment was established in Bangalore, the Christians attended the ‘Mass’ arranged by Fr. Jean Dubois. In 1811, he built a small chapel for the missionary people to stay. In June 1875, the construction of the present church began under one Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. E.L. Kleiner and it was consecrated on September 8, 1882 in the presence of 35 priests and about 4000 Catholics around the region. In view of the historic importance, the then British authorities from Delhi named the shrine as St. Mary and were paying a grant every year for the maintenance of the church till 1948.

This gothic-style church built in the form of a cross is 172 feet long and 50 feet wide. The magnificent tower forming the facade of the Church is 160 feet high and is welcomed by a beautiful statue of Mother Mary holding Child Jesus in her arms at 6 feet high. The church has stained glass windows, ornamental motifs and beautiful arches adorning the walls. The church is a generous throwback to the colonial era of Indian history and restores the traditional faith of Christianity with masses done in different languages.