| Church of Our Lady of Light | |
|---|---|
 Luz church | |
  Church of Our Lady of Light | |
| 13°02′17.4″N80°15′44.8″E / 13.038167°N 80.262444°E /13.038167; 80.262444[1] | |
| Location | Chennai |
| Country |  India |
| Denomination | Catholic Church (Latin Church) |
| History | |
| Status | Marian shrine |
| Founded | 1516; 509 years ago (1516) |
| Founder | Portuguese missionaries. |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Light |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1515 |
| Completed | 15 August 1516 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore |
| Parish | Luz Church Parish |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Rev. ArchbishopGeorge Antonysamy |
| Priest | Rev. Fr. Peter Thumma |
Church of Our Lady of Light (Tamil:பிரகாச மாதா ஆலயம்) is aCatholicshrine inChennai,India. The locals commonly call itLuz Church, which derives from thePortuguese nameNossa Senhora da Luz. Built in 1516 by thePortuguese, it is one of the oldest Churches in the city and its foundation stone marks as one of the oldestEuropean monuments in India. The history of the church dates back to the 16th-century legend of safe arrival to land bymissionaries. The church is located very near to theSanthome Basilica, whereApostle Thomas is believed to be buried.
Although at the time the church was built, the locality was a thick forest, now it is part of a bustling metropolitan area. This 16th-century European-architecture building consists of patterns of Gothic arches andBaroque ornamentation. The feast of Our Lady of Light is celebrated on 15 August every year. On 15 August 2010, Church of Our Lady of Light was declared Shrine of Our Lady of Light by A. M. Chinnappa,Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore.
The historical background of this church is intertwined with the traditional history ofChristianity in India. Arrival ofChristianity in India is of two phases, where by traditional accounts, St. Thomas brought the religion in the first century and attainedmartyrdom inChennai in AD 53. The second phase is after the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century. The legends of the Church of Our Lady of Light connects both.
The history of the Church is compounded with the history of the arrival of the Portuguese to India. Soon afterVasco da Gama discovered the sea-route to India, the legend states, that eight Franciscan priests left for India fromLisbon with the fleet ofPedro Álvares Cabral on 9 March 1500. They landed inCalicut, where three of the Friars were slain on 16 November 1500. The others reachedCochin, and settled down of preach thegood news. A few years later, they sailed down South to spread their message further. It is said, that theFriars were lost in the rough sea and started praying toMother Mary for their safety. The legend states that they were miraculously guided by a mysterious bright light which guided them safe to land. The Friars that in honour of their safe arrival to the land, built theChurch of Our Lady of Light (Portuguese:Nossa Senhora da Luz).[1] The church would later suffer damages inflicted from the forces ofGolconda between 1662 and 1673.[2] During the times ofHaider Ali's invasion of the city forts between 1780 and 1782, theBritish East India Company Forces occupied the Luz Parish Residence for some years.[1] Currently this church also governs theStella Maris College, Chennai.[1]
The church is located inMylapore local of Chennai and at the time it was built, this part of Mylapore is believed to have been a thick forest. Thus the church gets its local name inTamil as"Kaatu Kovil" (Tamil:காட்டுக் கோவில்) (Jungle Temple).[3] It is located about 1.5 km from theSanthome Basilica[4] whereApostle ofJesusSaintThomas is buried. Although now a bustling locale, it is believed that this area could have been covered withmangroves in the early days. The road leading to the church is now named asLuz Church road after the church itself.
thetetragrammaton is visible on the main facade at a height of about 6 meters.
The existing structure at Luz was built by the Portuguese in 1516.[5] The architecture of the building consists of patterns ofGothicarches,Baroqueornamentation compounded with classical European style. The altars are gilded with silver and gold leaves and the ceilings with powder bluefresco paintings. The building plan resembles the Portuguese style in more than one way. Luz church represents one of the many attempts made by these people to leave their identity in far-off places. The foundation stone of this church is considered to be one of the oldest European monuments in India.[6]
The feast of Our Lady of Light is celebrated on 15 August every year[7] which is also the day ofIndian independence and hence anational holiday. The day is also as the feast ofAssumption of Mary.[8] The feast is celebrated with a grand mass and car procession.
