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{{Short description|Roman Catholic Church in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{Infobox church
| name = Our Lady of Lourdes Church
| other name =
| coordinates = {{coord|12.3174|78.5836|display=inline,title}}
| fullname =
| native_name = தூய லூர்து அன்னை ஆலயம்
| native_name_lang = ta
| image = Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Visuvasampatti.jpg
| caption = Front View of this church
| location = [[Visuvasampatti]], [[Krishnagiri district]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
| country = [[India]]
| denomination = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| religious institute =
| cult = [[Latin liturgical rites|Latin Rite]]
| founded date = 1969
| founder = Fr. J.Martin MEP & Fr.Fidalis SDB
| status = [[Parish]]
| functional status = Active
| former name =
| dedication = [[Our Lady of Lourdes|Saint Mary]]
| architectural type = [[Church (building)|Church]]
| style = Modern Architecture
| groundbreaking = 1992
| completed date = 1993

| parish = [[Visuvasampatti]]
| deanery = [[Harur]]
| archdiocese = [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore|Pondicherry and Cuddalore]]
| diocese = [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri|Dharmapuri]]
| episcopalarea = [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of India|TNBC]]

| archbishop = [[Francis Kalist]]
| bishop = Lawrence Pius Dorairaj
| priest = Fr. I. Robert
}}

'''Our Lady of Lourdes Church''' is a [[Roman Catholic]] parish church in [[Visuvasampatti]] village in [[Krishnagiri district]], in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. This is comes under the administration of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri|Dharmapuri Diocese]].<ref>https://dharmapuridiocese.org/parishes/lists.html</ref>

==History==

Although the Catholic settlement in Visuvasampatti occurred in 1935, records suggest that Catholic MEP missionary activities took place in this village during the 1800s. According to Fr. Debian, the parish priest of Elathagiri, as documented in his records, people from Kaanampatti and Malliyampatti, presently located to the northern side of Uthangarai, migrated to Elathagiri around the 1820s. In 1853, Fr. Moury Amedee, an [[Paris Foreign Missions Society|MEP]] priest of [[St. Francis Xavier Church, Kovilur|Kovilur parish]], mentioned the presence of Catholics in Reddivaasal and Krishnapatti, which were located near present-day Visuvasapatti. Unfortunately, their further history remains unknown.<ref>{{cite book |author=Staff writer(s) |title=Saritha Surukkam|url= |location=Salem, India |publisher= Salem Diocese|page=87 |isbn=}}</ref>

According to local accounts, in 1930, the government decided to distribute common lands in Maganoorpatti to poor farmers. During this time, the Madras sub-registrar, J.C. Raayan, shared this information with [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Salem|Salem Diocesan]] priests and assisted many Christians in acquiring farmland in this village.<ref>{{cite book |author=Staff writer(s) |title=Saritha Surukkam|url= |location=Salem, India |publisher= Salem Diocese|page=111 |isbn=}}</ref> Additionally, a child from this village was baptized in 1938, as recorded in the [[Elathagiri]] Parish baptismal records. According to the Salem Diocese Jubilee magazine, Catholic settlements were established in this village in 1936. Subsequently, many Catholic settlements were established here from villages around [[Salem, Tamil Nadu|Salem]]. Locals also mention that around 1936, Dharmapuri sub-registrar Rayappan helped by registering land for the newly settled people.<ref>https://dharmapuri.nic.in/directory/registrar/</ref>

During the famine of 1935, Fr. Fidalis [[Salesians of Don Bosco|SDB]], the first missionary who stayed in this village, preached and helped people overcome the disease. During this time, he placed a cross in the village, which aided in alleviating the disease. Today, a [[Saint Sebastian|St. Sebastian]] grotto stands where the cross was originally placed. Fr.Fidalis named this place [[Visuvasampatti]]. In its early days, this church was under the administration of [[Tirupattur]] [[Salesians of Don Bosco|Salesian]] priests. Later, between 1942 and 1960, this church became a substation of [[Our Lady of Refuge Church, Elathagiri|Elathagiri parish]], [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, B Pallipatti|B. Pallipatti parish]], and [[Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Thenkaraikottai|Thenkaraikottai parish]]. Between 1948 and 1955, Father J. Martin [[Paris Foreign Missions Society|MEP]] permanently resided in this village as a missionary priest and assisted in the spiritual and social development of the people. Subsequently, from 1962 to 1968, this church once again came under the administration of Tirupattur Salesian congregation priests as a mission parish church. During these years, thanks to the preaching of Father Abraham [[Salesians of Don Bosco|SDB]], nearly 24 people converted to Catholicism and were baptized. In 1969, this church once again came under the administration of the Salem Diocese and was elevated to the status of a Parish Church with the substations of [[Uthangarai]] and Mittapalli. Later, in 1982, Uthangarai became an independent parish from Visuvasapatti, while the Mittapalli church was closed.<ref>{{cite book |author=Staff writer(s) |title=Salem Diocese Jublee Magazene|url= |location=Salem, India |publisher= Salem Diocese|page=33 |isbn=}}</ref>

In 1986, the Missionary Sisters of the Queen of the Apostles, India (SRA) congregation, established a convent in Visuvasampatti. Subsequently, they started hospital in the village, and in 2009, they established a school in this village. These dedicated sisters continue to provide valuable service to this church and actively contribute to the betterment of the local villages socially.<ref>https://www.srasisters.org/sou/php/home.php</ref>

==See also==
* [[Our Lady Of Refuge Church, Elathagiri]]
* [[Vinnarasi Madha Church, Kandikuppam]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Dharmapuri}}

[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Churches in Krishnagiri District]]
[[Category:Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore]]

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Visuvasampatti - Revision history

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