Basilica of St. Pius X
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Basilica of St. Pius X is a large church in the town of Lourdes France. Lourdes is a major Catholic pilgrimage site and the Catholic Church endorses the belief that the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous there.
The basilica was designed by the French architect Pierre Vago in the form of an upturned ship and is underground. The basilica covers 12,000 square meters, is surrounded by walkways and can hold 25,000 people.
The consecration of the basilica was on March 25th 1958 by Angelo Cardinal Roncalli, who was then the Papal Nuncio to France and later became Pope John XXIII. The consecration year was selected to celebrate the centenary of the 18 visions of the Virgin Mary by Saint Bernadette. This basilica is one of the largest churches inspired by Visions of Jesus and Mary.
External Links
Basilica at Lourdes: http://www.lourdes-france.org/index.php?goto_centre=ru&contexte=en&id=439&domaine=
