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{{Refimprove|date=December 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox religious building
|building_name=Poondi Matha Basilica
|image=Poondi-madha-basilica.jpg
|location= Poondi-Alamelupuram, [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
|religious_affiliation=[[Roman Catholic]]
|consecration_year=Eighteenth century beginning
|status=[[Basilica|Minor Basilica]]
|architecture_style=[[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]] and [[French architecture]]
|website = https://poondimadhabasilica.org }}

'''Our Lady of Lourdes Basilica''', also known as '''Poondi Madha Basilica''', is a Catholic pilgrimage centre located in [[Tamil Nadu]], South India. It is located in Poondi-Alamelupuram, a small village located adjacent to [[Thirukattupalli]] in [[Thiruvaiyaru]] taluk of [[Thanjavur]] district. The shrine was consecrated as a [[Minor basilica|Minor Basilica]] in 1999 by [[Pope John Paul II]].

==History==
In the beginning of the 18th century a great Italian Jesuit missionary [[Constanzo Beschi|Rev. Fr. Constantine Joseph Beschi S.J.]] popularly known as "[[Veeramamunivar|Veeramamuniver]]" built a church and named it as the church of "Mary Queen of Immaculate Conception". It is in the dome of this church the statue of the miraculous [http://poondimadhabasilica.org/ Lady of Poondi] is placed. This miraculous statue is one of the three statues that were made in [[France]] after the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes. Rev.Fr.Darres, MEP, brought these statues from France.[[File:Rev. Fr. Constantine Joseph Beschi S.J (Veeramamuniver).png|alt=veeramamuniver|left|thumb|Rev. Fr. Constantine Joseph Beschi S.J. popularly known as "Veeramamuniver"]]According to the available records in the Basilica archives the French Missionary Fathers ( MEP Fathers ) were taking care of the Pastoral Mission in [[Kumbakonam]] Diocese in the beginning of 20th Century. Fr. Mette Louis Jules started a Catechetical School in Poondi around the year 1900 to train Catechists.[[File:Fr-lourdu-xavier-poondi-madha-basilica.png|alt=Rev. Fr. Lourdes Xavier|thumb|Rev. Fr. Lourdes Xavier - Parish Priest of Poondi (01.09.1955 - 16.04.1972)]]Rev. Fr. Lourdes Xavier after being appointed as Parish Priest of Poondi on 1 September 1955, paid immediate attention to improve the condition of the Church, the central roof of which was in a bad condition and it was feared that it might collapse at any moment causing great damage. So he consulted an engineer. They wanted to demolish only the central roof without any damage to the front elevation, the doom and the altar. Fr.Lourdes Xavier was worried as it would cost too much and it would be beyond his means to find the necessary funds to reconstruct the Church. Fr.Lourdes Xavier, a great devotee of Our Lady, trusted and prayed to Our Lady of Poondi to reveal to him a way out to this problem. Inspired by an inner voice he predicted that the central roof of the church would come down on a particular day and time and it did. This is vividly remembered and described by people even today.

Simon Cardinal Lourdusamy declared the Shrine of our Lady of Poondi as a permanent pilgrimage centre of our Lady of [[Immaculate Conception|Immaculate]] Conception. On 03.08.1999, the shrine was declared as [[Minor basilica|Minor Basilica]] by [[Pope John Paul II]].

==Shrine==

[[File:Poondi Church Side View.jpg|thumb|Poondi Church Side View]]
The present structure of the shrine has a mixture of [[Gothic Architecture|Gothic]] and [[French Architecture|French]] architectural styles. The facade above the portico has a row of statues of the [[Twelve Apostles]], St. [[Francis Xavier]] and [[Constanzo Beschi|Fr. Constantine Joseph Beschi]]. The church has a [[relic]] of the [[True Cross]], believed to be the one on which [[Christ]] was crucified.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Poondi Madha Basilica::Original Cross|url = http://www.poondimadhabasilica.org/OriginalCross.aspx|website = www.poondimadhabasilica.org|access-date = 2016-01-20|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160127153501/http://poondimadhabasilica.org/OriginalCross.aspx|archive-date = 2016-01-27|url-status = dead}}</ref>

[[File:Mother Mary Chapel.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:Mother Mary Statue.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:JesusStatue.jpg|thumb]]
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Poondi Basilica 2.jpg|Poondi Basilica View
File:Poondi Basilica 1.jpg|Poondi Basilica pleasant View
File:Poondi Church Beauty.jpg|Holy Land Gallery in Poondi
Poondi Madha temple 1.jpg
Poondi Madha Temple.jpg
Poondi Madha Church.jpg
Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes (Poondi).jpg
Poondi Madha Kovil.jpg
</gallery>

==See also==

*[[Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health]]
*[[Our Lady of Snows Basilica]]
*[[Elakurichi]]
*[[Kamanayakkanpatti]]
*[[Our Lady of Snow Kallikulam]]
*[[The Perianayagi Madha Shrine]]
*[[Villianur|Villianoor]]
*[[Konankuppam]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
Indian Oil Petrol Bunk - Poondi Madha Kovil, Thanjavur

Saraswthi Marriage Mahall in Alamelupuram Poondi village near Poondi basilica

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://poondimadhabasilica.org/ Official website]

{{Thanjavur district}}
{{Basilicas in India}}

{{coord|10.8611|N|78.9383|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:Shrines to the Virgin Mary]]
[[Category:Catholic pilgrimage sites]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Basilica churches in Tamil Nadu|Our Lady of Graces]]
[[Category:Churches in Thanjavur district]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic shrines in India]]

Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes (Poondi) - Revision history

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