Origin of our lady of Lourdes
Our girl of Lourdes Shrine may be a notable Jewess shrine placed in Villianur city, Puducherry. This Roman Catholic shrine is dedicated to our lady of Lourdes. In 1867, the MEP missionaries in Puducherry wanted to create a Chapel at Villianur at a distance of 13 km away from Pondicherry on the way to Villupuram. It took ten years to finish the chapel. It is exactly on Kanuvapet on the outskirts of Villianur. Sculpture of our girl of Lourdes and created it return from Lourdes beneath the direct direction of Bernadette. This miraculous sculpture with half dozen feet tall was the acquirement of an equivalent sculptor. It absolutely was on 4th of April 1877 the sculpture arrived in Puducherry.
History of Our lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes shrine in Villianur Pondicherry was sponsored in an attempt of a thanksgiving offer by Dr. Lephine’s Family for the inexplicable cure of his daughter. This church is first in the world to be named after Our Lady of Lourdes outside Lourdes in France. A number of miracles was claimed in this church by the nineteenth century and hence it was declared as an official shrine of our lady of Lourdes and to canonically crown the statue.
In front of the church, there was a natural pond used for irrigation of lands as water reservoir from big ouster lake that is 10 km away from Villianur. Peoples and devotees of the church believe that water in the pond does miracles to cure the sick and bring fortune. The only Catholic church that has a sacred pond in front of the church is our lady of Lourdes shrine in Villianur. In 1977, centenary celebrations were celebrated and as a remembrance of that celebration, a grotto was built and consecrated by a bishop in 1978. Then second Vatican council wanted to modify cave inside the church and was done according to their instruction.
Modification of our lady of Lourdes
Stations of the Cross around the sacred pond were constructed during 2009 and then a grand celebration of 125th Anniversary of crowning the statue with diamond was held on 2011. The existing church is expected to be small to have a large number of people. Hence, a new church is being constructed in order to accommodate a large number of pilgrims and the construction is expected to be finished by the year 2015 as the plan and approval are ready.
Thousands of devotees gather every year in this church during the first Saturday in the month of august as holy water from Lourdes church of France is poured into the sacred pond that is found in our lady of Lourdes church in Villianur.