PilgrimstaysSituated in the idyllic village of Poondi, 35 kms away from Thanjavur, is the famed Our Lady of Lourdes Basilica. Better known as the Poondi Matha Church, it was established by Fr Constantine Joseph Beschi, an Italian Jesuit. He is called ‘Veeramamunivar’ in Tamil and is acknowledged for his contributions to Tamil literature. This important Catholic pilgrimage centre was first built between 1714 and 1718 and dedicated to Mary, Queen of the Immaculate Conception. It is popularly referred to as the Poondi Matha Church in Tamil Nadu. The dome of the basilica hosts the statue of the miraculous Lady of Poondi. It was one of three statues crafted in France after the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes. Fr Darres, a French missionary brought the statue from France and had it installed at the Poondi church. Devotees state that ever since the statue was installed, a mysterious brightness lights up the entire church during the night. Fr Lourdes Xavier took over as the Parish Priest of Poondi on 1st September 1955. He was a very pious and saintly priest who is remembered with great regard to this day. Fr Xavier was gravely concerned about the general condition of the church, especially of the main roof which threatened to cave in any minute. Moreover, he was worried about raising the funds to meet the cost of repairs. Knowing that the task on hand was well beyond his means, Fr Xavier fasted and prayed to Our Lady for fifteen days. On the morning of the fifteenth day, he called the parishioners and told them that a portion of the church would cave in by that afternoon. To the astonishment of his parishioners, Fr Xavier’s prediction came true and the building collapsed. That day was the 22nd of November, 1956. Funds began to flow in and the church was reconstructed and ready by the 2nd of May, 1964. This incident has now become part of the local folklore and is narrated by the parishioners to this day. Numerous testimonies abound, as to the favours granted by Our Lady of Lourdes at the Poondi Matha Church. Devotees in their thousands throng the shrine, especially on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady which is the 8th of September. This shrine got the recognition it deserved when it was elevated to the status of a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II, on the 3rd of August, 1999.
Better known as the Poondi Matha Church, it was established by Fr Constantine Joseph Beschi, an Italian Jesuit
This important Catholic pilgrimage centre was first built between 1714 and 1718 and dedicated to Mary, Queen of the Immaculate Conception
It is popularly referred to as the Poondi Matha Church in Tamil Nadu
The dome of the basilica hosts the statue of the miraculous Lady of Poondi
It was one of three statues crafted in France after the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes
The Lourdes Grotto — a faithful replica of the original Massabielle grotto in southern France — is the most intensely devotional space at Poondi. Pilgrims queue for long hours to kneel at the grotto, touch the rock, and receive a blessing. The physicality of the devotion — the touching, the kneeling, the water — is characteristic of Lourdes-inspired piety worldwide.
The basilica interior, expanded repeatedly to accommodate growing pilgrimage numbers, is a vast space that on feast days holds thousands of worshippers simultaneously. The main altar with the crowned Our Lady of Lourdes statue is surrounded by ex-voto offerings, candles, and the accumulated testimony of answered prayers.
The outdoor area surrounding the basilica can accommodate tens of thousands of pilgrims — on the principal feast day the entire field fills with people standing, kneeling, and praying. The sight of a hundred thousand pilgrims gathered in the Cauvery Delta at dawn for the feast Mass is one of the extraordinary experiences of south Indian Catholicism.
The basilica's twin towers and illuminated facade, visible from miles across the flat Cauvery Delta rice fields, act as a pilgrimage beacon. The view of the basilica across the paddy fields at dawn — with the towers lit and the sound of Tamil devotional hymns carrying across the water — is distinctively and beautifully south Indian.
The chapel walls carry thousands of votive plaques — silver ex-votos, framed photographs, and written testimonials in Tamil from pilgrims who received healings or answered prayers at Poondi. This living record of popular faith, accumulated over 160 years, is one of the most moving aspects of the shrine.
Father Anthony erected a chapel here in 1859 having heard of the apparitions in France. The apparitions at Lourdes occurred in February 1858. Within a year, a priest in the Cauvery Delta had already built a shrine in response. That is how fast faith travels — faster than newspapers, faster than ships. Bernadette's visions in a French grotto produced, within months, a chapel in south India. One and a half million people come here each year. It is worth thinking about why.
“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →Situated in the idyllic village of Poondi, 35 km away from Thanjavur, is the famed Our Lady of Lourdes Basilica. Better known as the Poondi Matha Church, it was established by Fr Constantine Joseph Beschi, an Italian Jesuit. He is called ‘Veeramamunivar’ in Tamil and is acknowledged for his contributions to Tamil literature.
This important Catholic pilgrimage centre was first built between 1714 and 1718 and dedicated to Mary, Queen of the Immaculate Conception. It is popularly referred to as the Poondi Matha Church in Tamil Nadu. The dome of the basilica hosts the statue of the miraculous Lady of Poondi. It was one of three statues crafted in France after the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes. Fr Darres, a French missionary, brought the statue from France and had it installed at the Poondi church. Devotees state that ever since the statue was installed, a mysterious brightness lights up the entire church during the night.
Fr Lourdes Xavier took over as the Parish Priest of Poondi on 1st September 1955. He was a very pious and saintly priest who is remembered with great regard to this day. Fr Xavier was gravely concerned about the general condition of the church, especially the main roof, which threatened to cave in any minute. Moreover, he was worried about raising the funds to meet the cost of repairs. Knowing that the task on hand was well beyond his means, Fr Xavier fasted and prayed to Our Lady for fifteen days.
On the morning of the fifteenth day, he called the parishioners and told them that a portion of the church would cave in by that afternoon. To the astonishment of his parishioners, Fr Xavier’s prediction came true and the building collapsed. That day was the 22nd of November, 1956. Funds began to flow in and the church was reconstructed and ready by the 2nd of May, 1964. This incident has now become part of the local folklore and is narrated by the parishioners to this day.
Numerous testimonies abound as to the favours granted by Our Lady of Lourdes at the Poondi Matha Church. Devotees in their thousands throng the shrine, especially on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, which is the 8th of September. This shrine got the recognition it deserved when it was elevated to the status of a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on the 3rd of August, 1999.
