Basilica of St. Pius X, Underground minor basilica in Lourdes, France.
The Basilica of St. Pius X is an underground concrete church in Lourdes, 201 metres long, 81 metres wide and only 10 metres high at the centre. Its oval nave is covered by 29 pre-stressed concrete beams carried on 58 pillars set at the edges, leaving the central altar visible from every seat. Two axial entrances open onto a perimeter walkway leading to access ramps.
The structure was designed in 1958 by architect Pierre Vago and engineer Eugène Freyssinet to mark a century since Marian apparitions appeared in Lourdes. The design followed modern principles and was built to hold thousands of pilgrims at once.
The walls carry 52 gemmail panels of layered stained glass. On the west ramp they show the 15 traditional Mysteries of the Rosary; on the east ramp, the Stations of the Cross designed by Denys de Solère. Lower on the east side, "Bernadette's Way of Light" follows sketches by René Margotton, depicting the eighteen apparitions and two scenes from her life.
The space holds several thousand people, both seated and standing, and is used throughout the year for masses and religious events. Since it sits underground, take time to find your bearings and watch for the entrances.
The 29 concrete beams that cross the ceiling rest on 58 pre-stressed pillars set at the outer edge, so no support blocks the view of the central altar. The nave floor slopes gently up toward the sanctuary, and the whole structure lies partly beneath Boulevard Père Rémi Sempé.
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