Eglise de Notre Dame de la

Often known as the 'Riviera of the East' Pondicherry shows clear traces of French influence a the Eglise de Notre Dame de la is a perfect example of that. Pondicherry was a French Colony for hundreds of years and therefore quite naturally had imbibed some of the Cultural trends of the French. It has been more than fifty years that French have left but even today Pondicherry has retained its French character.

Around the 17th and the 18th Centuries a number of French Missionaries landed in Pondicherry and the French Missionary Zeal resulted in the building of a number Churches in the region. Eglise de Notre Dame de la was also a product of the same Missionary influence and was built in the year 1791. The Eglise de Notre Dame de la is situated on the Mission Street and was built in the place of another Church that existed there.

The Eglise de Notre Dame de la resembles a Church in France in its basic structure. The grand facade of the Eglise de Notre Dame de la is supported by a twin Doric columns below and by Ionic Columns above. The most dominant feature of the interior of the Eglise de Notre Dame de la are the eight barrel vaults and at the center of the Church there is a dome which has eight circular openings. Just in front of the Church building is a statue of Mother Mary with infant Jesus in her arms. The Eglise de Notre Dame de la is set in a serene ambiance surrounded by lush greenery.