Panaji

Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception

Also known as Immaculate Conception Cathedral and Samba Kovil (in the local language), the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception is one of the historical structures in the union territory of Pondicherry. Constructed on the orders of Jesuit Fathers, who visited this French colony at the end of the 17th century, the church was razed a number of times due to colonial power struggle among French, Dutch and British. Today, the church boasts of huge altars and statues of St. Joseph, Our Lady of Good Health, St. Theresa, St. Francis and many more, apart from the High Altar. A typical example of robin’s-egg-blue-and-cloud-white edifice, it is the mother church for the region’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Visitors to the church can attend the mass services conducted in English as well as in Tamil. Choir Loft and Bell Tower are the added highlights of the church.