Our Lady of Angels Church, Puducherry 2.68

Our Lady of Angels Church is the fourth oldest church in Puducherry, a Union territory in South India. The original structure was built in Greco Roman architecture by Napolean III in 1855, with the architect being Louis Guerre. It is the only church that offers mass in three languages namely French, Tamil and English.Our Lady of Angels Church is a working church with hourly prayer and daily services and follows Roman Catholic sect of Christianity. The chapel was controlled by Capuchin priests, Holy Spirit Fathers subsequently and finally during 1887 changed hands to Foreign Mission Fathers from Paris. It is one of the most prominent landmarks in Puducherry and faces the Bay of Bengal.ArchitectureThe church is built in Greco-Roman architecture with the main chappel with two pillars on either sides. The two pillars were originally used to house the clocks, which are not functional in modern times. Originally they used to strike every two hours with the singing of Ave Maria. The shrine faces the East facing the sea towards Bay of Bengal. The altar is originally believed to have a statue of Our Lady of Angels, but houses a Holy Cross in modern times. There is a statue of Joan of Arc donated to the church by the then Mayor of Puducherry, Goubert. The original chapel was painted white in colour both from the inside and the outside, giving the name White Chapel. A special mixture of paint, egg and limestone were used to paint the walls. The colours of the exterior were changed during 1900s and interiors during the 2000s. The bells in the temple are believed to have been procured from France. The bell had a complex mechanism with pulleys and ropes connected to a rope all the way downstairs. During 2012, after a renovation of the chapel, the operation of the bell has been suspended on account of vibrational effects causing hindrance to neighbouring structure.