Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
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The Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (French: Basilique de Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée-Conception de Lourdes), known widely as the "Upper Church", is a Catholic church and minor basilica within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.
| Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Lourdes Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée-Conception de Lourdes (in French) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Minor basilica, National Shrine |
| Year consecrated | 1876 |
| Location | |
| Location |  Lourdes |
| Geographic coordinates | 43°5′50.5″N 0°3′30.1″W / 43.097361°N 0.058361°W |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Hippolyte Durand |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Neo-Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1862 |
| Completed | 1871 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 550[1] |
| Length | 51 metres (167 ft) |
| Width | 21 metres (69 ft) |
| Height (max) | 70 metres (230 ft) |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
History
editConstructed between 1862 and 1871[2] and consecrated in 1876, it was the second of the churches to be completed at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. The church was built on top of the rock above the Lourdes grotto and next to the Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary.
Designed by architect Hippolyte Durand, the Neo-Gothic church seems to emerge directly from the rock of Massabielle.
Description
editExterior
editThe exterior is dominated by a 70 metres (230 ft) spire, and two lesser spires (not completed until 1908). Above the entrance is a mosaic depicting Pope Pius IX, who defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.
The clock plays the Ave Maria hourly, and chimes the hours with a 2-tonne bell called Jeanne-Alphonsine. The other bells in the tower are named Geneviève-Félicie (weighing 1800 kg), Hermine-Benoîte (1100 kg), and Cécile-Gastine (800 kg).
Interior
editThe walls are lined with ex voto plaques, and banners from official National Pilgrimages of the past. It has a series of stained glass windows depicting various events in the story of Lourdes, and the clerestory windows depict Mary as the Second Eve.
Notes
edit- ^ "Bienvenue au Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes (France)".
- ^ Bon, Patrice (2019-01-05), Français : Informations sur la construction de la basilique de l'Immaculée-Conception de Lourdes, retrieved 2019-01-09
Further reading
edit- Le Guide Officiel des Sanctuaires, Ed. Sanctuaires Notre Dame de Lourdes, ISBN 2-914971-05-2.
External links
edit
Media related to Basilica of the Immaculate Conception at Wikimedia Commons
