Basilicas in India

Basilica – a term has two distinct meanings – one related to architecture signifies the stately edifice centered around the Forum for public gathering and administration at the Roman time. The second connotation for this term – Basilica – is canonical and a title conferred on important Roman Catholic Churches specifically by the Pope.

Basilicas are divided into 2 sections:

Major Basilicas or Patriarchal basilicas representing the ecclesiastical provinces :

The present Pope Benedict XVI has relinquished the traditional title 'Patriarch of the West' and as a result, these basilicas are simply known as Papal Basilicas.

The other section of Basilicas are Minor Basilicas which number 1585 (in the year 2011) spread across the world - major churches elevated to the status of minor basilicas specifically under a Papal Brief. There are some privileges conferred upon the basilicas which include the right of conopaeum – a kind of Umbrella called as Papilio and a Bell is carried in a procession on state occasions and the cappa magna - the vestments worn by members of the collegiate chapter when assisting at the office.

There are 20 minor basilicas in India ( in the year 2011). The following table shows the basilicas in India :

No	Name of the Basilica	Location	Dedicated to	Year conferred
1	Basilica of Bom Jesus	Old Goa	Infant Jesus	1946
2	Santhome Basilica	Madras (Chennai)	Mother Mary	1956
3	Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount	Bombay (Mumbai)	Mother Mary	1954
4	Basilica of Our Lady of Graces	Meerut	Mother Mary	1961
5	Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health	Velankanni	Mother Mary	1962
6	St. Mary’s Basilica	Bangalore(Bengaluru)	Mother Mary	1973
7	St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica	Ernakulam	Mother Mary	1974
8	Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows	Tuticorin	Mother Mary	1982
9	Santa Cruz Basilica	Cochin(Kochi)	Mother Mary	1984
10	Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary	Calcutta(Kolkatha)	Mother Mary	1988
11	Basilica of Our Lady of Dolores	Trichur	Mother Mary	1992
12	Poondi Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes	Poondi,near Thanjavur	Mother Mary	1999
13	Basilica of the Divine Motherhood	Ranchi	Mother Mary	2004
14	Vallarpadam Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom	Vypin Island, Cochin	Mother Mary	2004
15	Basilica of the Holy Redeemer	Tiruchi	Jesus and Mother of Perpetual Help	2006
16	St. Mary Queen of Peace Basilica	Trivandrum	Mother Mary	2008
17	Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption	Hyderabad	Mother Mary	2008
18	Basilica of St. George	Edapally,Cochin	Mother Mary	2009
19	St. Andrew’s Basilica	Arthunkal,alleppy	Jesus Christ	2010
20	Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica	Pondicherry	Jesus Christ	2011

It is apparent from the above table that the Venerable Pope John Paul II had been instrumental in elevating the status of many churches to that of basilicas. Blessed Pope John Paul II (born as Karol Józef Wojtyła)- the longest reigned Pope of our time, often acclaimed as the most influential leader of the late 20^th Century, the most widely traveled Pope of all time, recipient of so many accolades and honors including America's highest civilian honor – Presidential Medal of Freedom, was equally prolific in his encyclicals and apostolic letters as he was in conferring the status of basilicas to hundreds of churches throughout the world.

A closer inspection of the locations of the basilicas in India will show that 17 of these basilicas are located in South India – 7 in Kerala and 6 in Tamilnadu/Pondicherry. St.Francis Xaviour has visited most of these basilicas from the south in his time – a feat considering the primitive state of transportation at that time.