 Pondicherry
is home to several famous Churches.
Many churches were built by
the French, and its structure
and architecture gives a definite
French feel.
One such example of a church
is the Church of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. This church
is full of eye pleasing paintings
in stained glass and also has
beautiful marble decorations.
This church was supposed to
have been erected in 1700s by
French Missionaries. Church
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
is a catholic church and is
white and brown structure.
The other famous churches include
the Church of Capuchins, Notre
dame de, The Notre Dame des
Agnes, Church of the Assumption,
The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes,
and Church of Our Lady of Good
Health Church of Capuchins holds
the distinction of being one
of the first churches in Pondycherry.Though
this church has lost its old
charm; it is still revered and
houses an orphanage. The Notre
dame de reminds one of the typical
French churches. The statue
is of Our Lady with the infant
Jesus in her arms. The Notre
Dame Des Agnes is church built
on the Greek-Roman architectural
design. The place is a visual
treat as it has the much acclaimed
oil painting of Our Lady of
the Assumption.
There is a church which is of
much interest to the followers
and the tourists called the
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes
.It is in the model of Basilica
in France. There also stands
a statue of Notre Dame donated
by the French Government. There
is a ritual of temple bathing
every year. This church is located
in Villianur. The Church of
Assumption is located at Nellitoppu.This
church is famous for its fine
altar pieces which is an exquisite
sight. The Church of Our Lady
of Good Health is located at
Ariyankkuppam and is a rebuilt
version of the church built
in 1690.A lot of wooden paintings
can be found here.
Thus Pondicherry is home to
a huge number of imposing churches
mostly built by the French here.
Thus these churches show characteristics
that are different from churches
in the rest of India. The difference
lies in its architecture. Apart
from the above mentioned Churches,
there are a host of other churches
which are lesser known like
the Saint John Church , Seventh
Day Adventist Church and so
on .
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