Have You Visited These Five Beautiful Churches in India?

This Christmas, we give you a visual tour of five of the most beautiful churches of India.

Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Ho, ho, ho, Christmas is coming! It’s also a great time to pay a visit to these five fabulous churches in India.

Take a visual tour, now.

Vallarpadam Church

Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom, Vallarpadam. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) 

Thousands head to The Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom, an ancient church built in 1524 in Vallarpadam-Ernakulam to seek the blessings of Mary. It is said Portuguese merchants headed by Vasco da Gama put up a picture of Our lady of Ransom at the shrine.

The church was destroyed heavily by a flood in 1676 and was re-established, with the picture of Mary sourced again from Portugal.

It was declared a special church by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 and was declared a major pilgrim centre in 1951 by the Union Government.

Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa

Basilica of Bom Jesus at Goa Velha. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)  

This church epitomises Baroque architecture in Goa.

Time and a raging fire in 1663 destroyed some of its lengthy corridors and spacious apartments, but they were rebuilt in 1783.

There is also an interesting tale behind the church, the Jesuits were facing strong opposition for their planned construction. But on the night before they would be legally restrained from building the site, two fathers and one brother converted a small house into a temporary church and inscribed the word JESUS on its door.

The next morning the Church was thrown open and a bell rang to call people from the neighbourhood to celebrate mass. After that the opponents were never able to dislodge the occupants.

Rosary Church, Shetihalli

Rosary Church, Shetihalli. (Photo: Nat Geo)

A submerged Rosary Church. (Photo: Neelima Vallangi)

The Rosary Church in Shetihalli was built by French Missionaries in 1860 near the banks of river Hemvathy. The church was constructed with mortar, bricks and a mixture of eggs and jaggery.

But the Gorur dam, which was built roughly a century later in 1960, causes the church to submerge in water every monsoon whenever the water level rises. In fact, at times, only the spire can be seen.

A caption by photographer Gurdyal Singh captures the essence of this church well, “Every cycle takes away part of this holy place until nothing would remain and would be long forgotten.”

Cathedral Church of the Redemption, New Delhi

Cathedral Church of the Redemption, New Delhi. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Also known as the Viceroy Church of New Delhi, this one is counted as one of the most magnificent churches in India. The church is located east of Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan and was used by the then British Viceroy.

Its centralised plan blended neatly with Sir Edwin Lutyens’ city plan. Under Viceroy Lord Irwin, the Church was opened for public worship on Sunday, 18 January 1931. The church’s design was inspired by the Palladio Church of Il Redentore in Venice as well as Lutyens Hampstead church.

St Paul Cathedral, Kolkata

St Paul Cathedral in Kolkata. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) 

This Kolkata church was built in Gothic Revival Style. It has beautiful arched windows with stained glass.

The frescoes inside the church are also noteworthy.