The St. Philomena's Church in Mysore is one of the oldest churches in India. The church built in the honour of St. Philomena. It was constructed in 1936 using a Neo Gothic style and its architecture was inspired by the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
About Saint Philomena
Saint Philomena is a saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church. The story of St. Philomena dates back to the 3rd century A.D. Philomena was the daughter of the monarch of a small state in Greece. Her parents were childless. They prayed to God and asked Him to bless them with a child and promised to convert to Christianity if their wish was granted. The next year Philomena was born to them. Even in her childhood Philomena showed signs of piety. When Philomena was 13 years' old her father took her to Rome to obtain the favour of Emperor Diocletion. The Emperor was enthralled by her beauty and wanted to marry her. But she refused and vowed to give herself to God. As she refused to marry the Emperor she was tortured and beheaded in Rome.
The remains of a teenage girl no older than 14 were discovered on May 24, 1802 in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla at the Via Salaria in Rome. Accompanying these remains were a set of tiles bearing a fragmented inscription containing the words Lumena Paxte Cumfi, words of no known meaning in any language. The letters were rearranged to read Pax Tecum Filumena, which in Latin translates to Peace with you, Filumena, Various vessels, including one allegedly containing blood, were also found in the tomb. From these discoveries, it was concluded that a Christian named Filumena (Philomena) was buried in the tomb and the vessel containing blood was thought to be her relic, an evidence of a martyr's death.
There are a number of churches dedicated to her all over the world. Today the church stands as a monument to the secular outlook of the Mysore rulers. It is no longer just a religious place but has become a major tourist attraction in Mysore.
About St. Philomena's church
Initially over 250 years ago there was a small church in its place. When the capital of Mysore state was move from Srirangapatnam to Mysore city in 1799, many British officers and soldiers came and settled down in Mysore. The Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III realized the need for a Christian church for these people. So the Maharaja gave them a small plot of land on the Mysore-Bangalore Road and a little church came up there. As the city expanded and the Christian population of the city increased there was a need for a larger church.
Suneel Gudipati in front of
St. Philomena's church
So plans for made to build a larger church and thus came into existence the famous St. Philomena Church of Mysore. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV laid the foundation of the new church on October 28th, 1933 that was to be built in the place of the small church built by his grandfather. A Frenchman named Daly designed the church. The floor plan of the cathedral is in the form of a cross. The long part of the cross is the 'nave', which is the congregation hall. The two arms of the cross are the 'transepts'. The fourth part containing the altar and the choir is the 'crossing'.
The Holy Mass is performed daily in Kannada, Tamil and English at the table in the sanctum sanctorum. Behind this is an exquisite marble altar on which the statue of St. Philomena is placed. There is also an idol of Christ lying in his sacred wounds. Above the sanctum there are lovely stained glass windows from France with painting depicting the birth of Jesus Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. The part of the church that is most attractive is the towers or spires. These towers resemble that of a cathedral in Cologne in Germany and those of St. Patrick's Church in New York. The two spires are 175 feet tall.
Architecture
The entire church is built in the Gothic style is one of the largest Cathedrals in South Asia. The Church has the relic of the 3rd century St. Philomena that is in a beautiful catacomb that is below the main altar.The church looms 165 feet into the air, its twin spires touching the sky. The interiors, much like any other church, are peaceful. The stained glass lends a lovely yellow light to the interiors of the church. The beautiful image of Philomena, who is known as a martyr for Christ, is placed uncharacteristically in an underground chapel. You can make donations in the receptacle kept here. The glass windows that adorn the interiors of the main hall depict scenes from the birth of Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ.
The construction of the church was completed under Bishop Rene Fuga's supervision. At that time Thamboo Chetty, was the Huzur Secretary to the Maharaja of Mysore, heard about the greatness of St. Philomena and obtained a relic of the saint from Peter Pisani, Apostolic Delegate of the East Indies in 1926. After obtaining the relic it was handed over to Fr. Cochet. The next year a new state of St. Philomena was brought from France.
Festivals
The church is open from 8am to 6pm.
Holy Mass is held in the morning and evening.
Special masses are held on Sundays and on festivals.
An Annual Feast is held on August 11th each year.
How to reach
By Road & Rail:
Mysore is well connected city to other Indian cities. Bengalur isnearest place to Mysore
Distance from Bangalore to Mysore is 139 Kilometers / 86 Miles.
By Air:
The nearest airport is Devanahalli, Bengaluru.
My experience
This beautiful church visited in the trip of Mysore from Bengaluru with my friend Ram Manohar.
I plan to visit Mysore from Bengaluru (Banglore). So I took tickets from Janata travels in BTM, Bengaluru. It is a one day tour package. I started with my friend Ram Manohar on 26th September 2009 at morning 7: OO AM and return to Bengaluru at 12:30 AM.
Mysore is very nice town and one should visit.
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