Rosary Basilica (Lourdes)

Rosary Basilica, in the background the three towers of the "Upper Basilica"

Entrance portal

Altar area with Marian mosaic and side chapels in the background

The Rosary Basilica is a church and minor basilica in Lourdes, a Marian pilgrimage site in southwestern France . In it, above all, the praying of the rosary is celebrated. The sacred building is located a little to the east of the Basilica of the Virgin Mary (“Upper Basilica”) and is part of the church complex. The church building, built in the neo-Byzantine style, can hold up to 1500 people and is the third oldest sacred building in the pilgrimage area.

history

The basilica is the third sacred building after the crypt and the "Upper Basilica", which was built on the site near the apparition of Mary. The church building was planned by the architect Leopold Hardy. The foundation stone was laid in 1883 and completed in 1889. The church was consecrated in 1901. Pope Leo XIII. In the apostolic letter entitled Parta humano generi of September 8, 1901, he paid special tribute to the dedication of the Rosary Basilica.

architecture

The main nave is round, open and crowned by a dome with a total of 16 glass windows. The gold-plated crown with cross is a gift from Ireland , which has just become independent, in 1924. The 15 sections between the round windows represent the 15 groups of ten of a traditional rosary. The main nave is surrounded by 15 smaller chapels, and each chapel symbolizes a mystery of the rosary: on the left of the main axis are the Joyful Secrets , on the right the Glorious Secrets and in the center the Sorrowful Secrets .

Each chapel shows a large mosaic with the content or theme of the respective mystery and an inscription in Latin. Most of the mosaics were made around 1900. Each side chapel has an altar with six candles. A central mosaic shows the representation of the Mother of God Mary with outstretched arms, angel heads and the heading “Par Marie à Jésus” (Eng. “Through Mary to Jesus”). The illustration is based on Bernadette Soubirou's description of the apparition of Mary from Lourdes .

The semicircular entrance area of the Rosary Basilica is dominated by a representation of the Virgin who hands a rosary to St. Dominic . An inscription commemorates the French military commander and head of state Philippe Pétain , who visited Lourdes in 1941. The outer facade of the sacred building was changed in 2007 by adding the “Luminous Mysteries” mosaic to the 15 mosaics from 2002.

organ

The organ was built in 1897 by the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. The instrument has 42 registers on three manuals and a pedal . The playing and stop actions are electric.

I Grand Orgue C-g ³
Montre	16 ′
Bourdon	16 ′
Montre	8th'
Bourdon	8th'
Flûte harmonique	8th'
Violoncello	8th'
Prestant	4 ′
Fifth	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Duplicate	2 ′
Fittings IV
Cymbals III
Bombard	16 ′
Trumpets	8th'
Clairon	4 ′

II Positif expressif C – g ³
Principal	8th'
Bourdon	8th'
Salicional	8th'
Prestant	4 ′
Duplicate	2 ′
Plein-jeu IV-V
Nazard	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Tierce	1 ³ ⁄ ₅  ′
Piccolo	1'
Basson-Hautbois	8th'
Clarinet	8th'
Tremolo

III Récit expressif C – g ³
Quintaton	16 ′
Cor de nuit	8th'
Flûte harmonique	8th'
Viol	8th'
Voix céleste	8th'
Flûte octaviante	4 ′
Octavine	2 ′
Cornet V
Trompette harmonique	8th'
Voix humaine	8th'
Clairon harmonique	4 ′
Tremolo