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The blessing of the church and the first mass was held at the
western wing of the present church by Mgr. Gandy on 17, December 1907 and
the new parish surrounding this church has been established on 27, January
1908.
This 100 years old historical church is 50 meter. long 48 meter. wide and 18
meter. high with Latin rite cross shape in aerial view is in Gothic style.
24 main columns hold the structure. The biblical verse from 2 Chronicles
7:16 is written above the entrance door in Latin "sanctificavi locum istum,
ut sit nomen meum ibi" which means "I have consecrated this house, that my
name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there forever.".
Inside the church there are glass pictures of 28 saints who were related to
the devotion of Sacred Heart of Jesus.
This 100-year-old church has been led by twenty parish priests. The Grotto
for Our Lady of Lourdes, Parish Hall, Adoration chapel and the new parish
community hall were some of the development of this church since the 1960s.
After the arrival of parish priest Thomas in 2005 the church was fully
renovated inside and out.
Statues of the four evangelists were erected, beneath which there are four
lamp posts describing their lives and the inviting Jesus and the twelve
apostles on the front facade. The Grotto for Sacred Heart of Jesus facing
the City Railway Station were added and the church illuminated inside and
out with chandeliers, focus and flood lights.
The year 2008-2009 was celebrated as centenary year of founding of the
parish. A special postal stamp and postal envelope were released to mark the
valedictory function of the centenary celebrations.
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Getting There
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is located in the center of Pondicherry. Taxis, buses and autos are available easily.
Pondicherry is
connected to Chennai via the East Coast Road through Mahabalipuram. The
Pondicherry Road Transport Corporation runs buses within the city. The Tamil
Nadu State Transport Corporation operates Volvo air-conditioned services
from Chennai to Pondicherry. There are daily bus services from several main
stops from Chennai.
Pondicherry hosts its own railway
station that connects the city with all other major cities like Bhubaneshwar,
Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kanpur. So, one
planning to reach Pondicherry by train has got wider options.
Pondicherry has its own airport
named
Pondicherry Airport,
located at Lawspet, 7.5 km away from town center. Currently there is no
commercial scheduled flights services at this Airport.
The nearest domestic / international airport is
Chennai International Airport,
located at Chennai, 148 km north of Pondicherry. It is about three hours
drive to Chennai International
Airport from Pondicherry. To make arrangements for a taxi from Airport
to Pondicherry, contact one the taxi operators and travel agents that have
counter in the Airport.
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