Notre-Dame de l’Immaculee-Conception, Lourdes
The St. Mary's Basilica is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in the French Marian shrine of Lourdes. It is part of the sacred precinct at which 1858 of Bernadette Soubirous, the Virgin Mary had appeared. The Neo-Gothic church located west of the Rosary Basilica, holds approximately 550 times and is the second oldest religious building of the shrine complex.
History
The Basilica, also called as opposed to the Rosary Basilica " Upper Basilica ", was built in 1866-1871 on the crypt. Your consecration in 1876 by Monseigneur Pichenot, the Bishop of Tarbes and later Bishop of Chambery. The church was built over the rocks of the " Grotto of Massabielle " according to the plans of the architect Hippolyte Durand.
Architecture and Design
The Basilica - 55 meters long and 22 meters wide - is dominated by a 70 meter high main tower. The two lower side towers were not completed until 1908. There is a mosaic of Pope Pius IX. , Who announced in 1854 the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in his bull Ineffabilis Deus Over the entrance. The bells play every hour the Ave Maria, and chimes can be in the 2 -hour cycle, the two-ton bell named " Jeanne- Alphonsine " sound. The other bells are called " Geneviève- Felicie " (1800 kg), " Hermione - Benoîte " (1100 kg) and " Cécile- Gastine " ( 800 kg ).
The interior walls are covered with votive tablets, as well as flags and banners of pilgrimages. The stained glass windows depict various events in the history of the pilgrimage in Lourdes and in the chancel windows Maria is shown as the second Eve.
The organ was built in 1875 by organ builder Aristide Cavaillé -Coll. The instrument has 25 stops on two manuals and pedal. The four pedal stops are transmissions from the Grand Orgue. The tracker action are mechanical.
- Couplers: II / I, I / P, II / P