The Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (french: Basilique de Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée-Conception de Lourdes), known widely as the ''"Upper Church"'', is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
church and
minor basilica
In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...
within the
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes () is a Catholic Marian shrine and pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France. The sanctuary includes several religious buildings and monuments aroun ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Constructed between 1862 and 1871
and consecrated in 1876, it was the second of the churches to be completed. The church was built on top of the rock above the
Grotto
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...
and next to the
Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary .
Designed by architect
Hippolyte Durand
Hippolyte Durand (1801–1882 ) was a French architect who specialized in medieval-style church architecture.
He restored or built many church buildings, mostly in the southwest of the country.
He is perhaps best known for the Basilica of Our Lad ...
, the
Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
church seems to emerge directly from the rock of Massabielle.
Exterior
The exterior is dominated by a spire, and two lesser spires (not completed until 1908). Above the entrance is a mosaic depicting Pope Pius IX, who defined the dogma of the
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
in 1854.
The clock plays the Ave Maria hourly, and chimes the hours with a 2-tonne bell called Jeanne-Alphonsine. The other bells in the tower are named Geneviève-Félicie (weighing 1800 kg), Hermine-Benoîte (1100 kg), and Cécile-Gastine (800 kg).
Interior
The walls are lined with ex voto plaques, and banners from official National Pilgrimages of the past. It has a series of stained glass windows depicting various events in the story of Lourdes, and the clerestory windows depict Mary as the Second Eve.
Notes
Further reading
* ''Le Guide Officiel des Sanctuaires'', Ed. Sanctuaires Notre Dame de Lourdes, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Notre-Dame de l'Immaculee-Conception, Lourdes
Basilica churches in France
Our Lady of Lourdes
Churches completed in 1872
19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France
Churches in Hautes-Pyrénées