History

1867–1877: It took 10 years to complete the chapel. Rev. Fr. Tarbes, a cousin of St. Bernadette (the visionary of Lourdes), was appointed as the Parish Priest of Villianur. This became the first chapel in the world to be named after Our Lady of Lourdes outside Lourdes, France.

April 4, 1877: A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, made under the direct supervision of St. Bernadette, arrived in Pondicherry. The box containing the statue was dropped three times on the way to the Cathedral, but arrived intact, and was sent on to Villianur.

April 8, 1877: Msgr. Laouenan blessed the statue and placed at the newly built chapel in Villianur.

1885: Archbishop Laouenan went to Rome and reported numerous miracles that took place at the Villianur shrine. He sought permission from the Pope to declare it an official shrine.

February 21, 1886: Pope Leo XIII issued a Pontifical decree to declare Villianur as the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and to canonically crown the statue. In Asia only few statues are crowned by Pope. The statue at Villianur is one among them.

May 8, 1886: On his return from Rome on May 8, 1886, during a grand celebration witnessed by around 40,000 people at the pontifical high mass, the Archbishop crowned the miraculous statue in the name of Pope Leo XIII and declared the church as the"Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes" , Villianur, attaching permanent plenary indulgences to this shrine.

1896: The novena prayer and car procession were introduced at Villianur, and the first grand feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was celebrated on February 11, drawing widespread participation from devotees throughout the region.

1908: The Golden Jubilee of the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes was celebrated, and a prayer hall was constructed in the garden.

1923: The walls of the sacred pond were built by Rev. Fr. Lespone.

1924: A solemn ceremony was held to install the statue in the center of the sacred pond following its consecration, along with that of the pond itself. This is the only Catholic church in Asia having a sacred pond in front of the church.

In 1930, the flag mast was erected in front of the shrine.

On October 10, 1978, a new grotto resembling the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes was constructed on the prayer hall and blessed by Most Rev. Dr. Venmani Selvanathar. The grotto features a statue of Our Lady and St. Bernadette, which was specially brought from France, adding to the significance and devotion of the sacred space.

April 16, 1979: The death anniversary of St. Bernadette was commemorated with the opening of a stall in her honor.

February 11, 1980: A new monthly magazine titled "Villianur Vidivelli" has been published.

April 30, 1981: The eight-day annual feast celebration has been extended to nine days, beginning with a flag hoisting on Saturday, followed by a car procession organized by the Catholic community of Villianur.

April 30, 1982: The grotto inside the chapel was remodeled to resemble the one at Lourdes.

1983: Our Lady of Lourdes middle school has been upgraded to a high school.

December 25, 1983: The film Villianur Madha was released alongside the miracles associated with Our Lady of Lourdes.

August 2, 1984: The 18 apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes have been illustrated and displayed within the shrine.

April 05, 1986: A piece of stone from the Masabielle Grotto in France was brought by Most Rev. Dr. Venmani Selvanathar and placed on the right side of the inner grotto at the Villianur shrine.

1986: In the center of the pond, a stupa dedicated to Mother Mary has been erected.

1988: The new Eucharistic Ark has been established inside the shrine.

March 13, 1993: St. Mary's orphanage home has been rebuilt as a three-floor building.

1995: The entrance arch for the shrine was constructed.

September 05, 2009: Around Mother Mary’s Pond, the Stations of the Cross were constructed, and the area was enhanced with a garden, lighting, and a sand pathway.

April 18, 2010: The new entrance gate to the shrine was inaugurated and blessed by Most Rev. Dr. Antony Anandarayar during the 133rd annual feast day of the shrine

May 08, 2011: During the annual feast mass in 2011, Most Rev. Dr. Antony Anandarayar laid the foundation stone for a new chapel.

July 02, 2010: A new Eucharistic Ark was erected, and the altar was renovated.

Oct 08, 2011: To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the statue's crowning by the Pope, Archbishop Antony Anandarayar re-crowned the Villianur Madha statue with a diamond crown contributed by the devotees.

April 19, 2013: The new primary entrance arch, standing 40 feet tall and featuring statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Angels, was blessed and inaugurated by His Eminence Cardinal Oswald Gracias.

April 26, 2014: The new flag mast in front of the shrine was blessed and consecrated by Most Rev. Dr. Peter Abir, Bishop of the Palakad Diocese, Kerala.

February 04, 2017: The Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, located in front of the new church, was ceremonially blessed by Rev. Fr. Aruldoss.

February 11, 2017: The newly constructed Gratia Plena Church by Rev. Fr. S. Richard, which accommodates 5,000 people, was blessed and consecrated by Most Rev. Dr. Antony Anandarayar. The ceremony was co-consecrated by Most Rev. Dr. Michael Augustine, Most Rev. Dr. A. Malayappan Chinappa, Most Rev. Dr. D. Lawrence Pious, Most Rev. Dr. A. Neethinathan, Most Rev. Dr. F. Antonysamy, and Most Rev. Dr. A. Peter Abir.

April 22, 2017: The new adoration chapel at the back of Gratia Plena church has been constructed and was blessed by Most Rev. Dr. P. Thomas Paulsamy, Bishop of Dindigul.

May 05, 2019: The renovated Rev. Fr. Tarbes Parish Hall was blessed and inaugurated by Most Rev. Dr. Antony Anandarayar during the 142nd annual feast day of the shrine.

October 12, 2019: A new grotto resembling the Masabielle grotto in France has been constructed by Rev. Fr. S. Pitchaimuthu, featuring a 200 kg statue of Our Lady of Lourdes from France, which was blessed and consecrated by Most Rev. Dr. A. Malayappan Chinappa, Bishop Emeritus of the Madras-Mylapore Archdiocese.

April 4, 2020: A new commercial center named "Madha Vaniga Valaagam" has been constructed and was blessed and inaugurated by Most Rev. Dr. Antony Anandarayar. Following this, the Villianur shrine website was launched by the archbishop, with the assistance of the Villianur shrine youth.

April 10, 2021: The St. Bernadette stall underwent renovations and was subsequently blessed and inaugurated by Most Rev. Dr. A. Malayappan Chinappa, Archbishop Emeritus of the Madras-Mylapore Archdiocese. Additionally, Rev. Fr. Lespone Pilgrims rest house was blessed and inaugurated by Rev. Fr. P. Arokiyanathan, Parish Priest of Reddiarpalayam.

February 04, 2023: A 32-foot-tall monolithic column featuring a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was installed in front of Gratia Plena Church and was blessed by Most Rev. Dr. Francis Kalist, Archbishop of the Pondicherry-Cuddalore Archdiocese.

April 15, 2023: For the shrine's annual feast celebration, a new chariot was crafted by a donor and consecrated on the flag hoisting day of the 2023 feast, after which it was taken in procession through the streets of Villianur.

June 17, 2023: The stations illustrating the mysteries of the Rosary were formally blessed and inaugurated by Rev. Fr. P. Arokiyanathan, Vicar Forane of Tindivanam.

March 30, 2024: A new cart for the shrine's grand car was crafted and blessed by Rev. Fr. S. Albert.

August 03, 2024: The Centenary Anniversary of the sacred pond was celebrated with a grand holy mass, the pouring of holy water into the pond, a car procession within the pond, and a benediction, alongside the renovation of the St. Joseph pilgrimage house, all in the presence of Most Rev. Dr. F. Antonysamy, Bishop Emeritus of the Kumbakonam Diocese.

October 11, 2024: The new shrine canteen, named Annai Canteen, was blessed and inaugurated by Rev. Fr. S. Albert to meet the needs of devotees.

October 12, 2024: The official website of the shrine, www.villianushrine.in, developed by the Villianur Shrine Youth Community, was launched by Most Rev. Dr. Francis Kalist during the 46th pilgrimage walk holy mass.