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Our
Lady
of
Lourdes
Basilica,
Poondi,
is
a
Catholic
pilgrimage
center
located
in
Tamilnadu,
South
India.
Poondi
is
a
small
village
located
near
Tirukattupalli
in
Thiruvaiyaru
Taluk
(also
spelled
as
Taluka),
about
35
km
away
from
Thanjavur.
Poondi
is
usually
associated
with
Alamelupuram
village
located
besides
the
Basilica
and
so
is
called
as
Poondi-Alamelupuram,
officially.
Poondi
is
a
small
hamlet
sandwiched
between
the
rivers
Cauvery
and
Coleroon
Alamelupuram.
Poondi
is
believed
to
have
got
its
name
from
Poondu,
a
shrub
in
Tamil,
which
grew
in
abundance
here
earlier.
The
hamlet
is
significant
thanks
to
the
renowned
Poondi
Madha
Shrine
(The
Shrine
of
Our
Lady
of
Poondi).
Poondi
Madha
Shrine
is
an
important
pilgrim
spot
for
Roman
Catholics
and
is
almost
as
famous
as
Velankanni,
which
is
also
in
Tamilnadu.
Thousands
of
devout
worshippers
from
across
India
throng
to
this
church
with
an
unshakeable
belief
that
their
prayers
will
be
answered.
The
church
is
an
imposing
and
elegant
building
and
stands
tall
and
proud;
you
can’t
miss
it
from
a
distance
because
its
tall
towers
reach
out
to
the
sky.
Rev.
Fr.
Constantine
Joseph
Beschi
S.J.,
popularly
known
as
Veeramamunivar
an
Italian
Jesuit
missionary
and
Tamil
Scholar,
built
the
Church
of
Mary
Queen
of
Immaculate
Conception
between
1714
and
1718.
Poondi
Madha
Shrine
was
officially
classified
a
Minor
Basilica
by
Pope
John
Paul
II
on
3
August,
1999.
Veeramamunivar
authored
many
Tamil
literary
works
including
the
famous
Thembaavani
and
Paramartha
Guru
Kadhai.
He
holds
a
special
place
in
Tamil
culture
and
the
Tamil
Nadu
government
has
honored
him
by
erecting
his
statue
on
the
popular
Marina
Beach.
Within
the
dome
of
the
church
is
the
statue
of
the
miraculous
Lady
of
Poondi.
This
extraordinary
statue
is
one
of
the
three
statues
that
were
completed
in
France
after
the
apparition
of
Our
Lady
at
Lourdes
and
was
brought
to
India
by
Rev.
Father
Darres.
According
to
available
records
when
the
French
Missionary
Fathers
(MEP
Fathers)
where
taking
care
of
the
Pastrol
Mission
in
Kumbakonam
Diocese,
Father
Mette
Louis
Jules
started
a
Catechetical
School
in
Poondi
around
the
year
1900
to
train
Catechetics.
The
Holy
Mother
appeared
to
Bernadette
in
1858
in
Lourdes
in
France.
Statues
of
Our
Lady
of
Lourdes
were
sent
to
different
parts
of
the
World.
Out
of
the
three
statues
that
came
to
India,
one
was
brought
to
and
remains
in
the
Poondi
Shrine.
This
statue
is
so
unique,
that
while
looking
at
it,
one
gets
a
feeling
of
looking
at
a
live
person.
Since
the
time
the
statue
was
installed
in
the
church,
a
mysterious
brightness
has
been
filling
up
the
entire
church
during
night
time.
People
started
special
devotion
to
Our
Lady
and
several
miracles
started
happening
here,
which
continue
till
day.
Rev.Fr.Lourdes
Xavier
after
being
appointed
as
Parish
Priest
of
Poondi
on
1st
September
1955
gave
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.Not
having
sufficient
funds
to
carry
out
the
repairs,
he
fasted
and
prayed
to
the
Holy
Mother
for
15
days.
On
the
15th
day
morning,
he
heard
an
inner
voice
and
told
the
people
that
the
front
portion
of
the
church
would
come
down
on
its
own
by
that
afternoon.
Exactly
as
he
said,
the
building
collapsed.
This
happened
on
22nd
November,
1956
and
the
reconstruction
was
completed
by
2nd
May
1964.
This
is
vividly
remembered
and
described
by
people
even
today.
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