Rosary Basilica, Minor basilica in Lourdes, France
The Rosary Basilica is a Romano-Byzantine church built between 1883 and 1889 to designs by Léopold Hardy, closing the western end of the Esplanade du Rosaire. Its Greek-cross plan covers 2,000 m² and holds 1,100 people. The nave is circular under a dome pierced by sixteen stained-glass windows, and fifteen side chapels line it, each with a mosaic of a Rosary mystery.
The new bishop of Tarbes, Mgr Langénieux, proposed a second church to Pope Pius IX in February 1875, and Father Rémi Sempé led the project. The first stone was blessed on 16 July 1883, the 25th anniversary of the last apparition, and the shell was finished in 1889. Consecrated on 6 October 1901, it became a minor basilica in 1926.
The chapels inside are each dedicated to a different Mystery of the Rosary, decorated with intricate mosaics and Latin inscriptions that tell spiritual stories through art. These decorations make the interior a place where prayer and artistic expression come together naturally.
The interior accommodates around 1,500 visitors and hosts services throughout the year. When visiting, allow time to walk through the space and observe how the light from the stained glass windows changes the appearance of the interior at different times.
The gilded crown and cross on the dome were a gift from the people of Ireland in 1924; the cross was regilded between 2000 and 2002. The crown and cross were installed in 1923 and gilded five years later, according to French sources.
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