St. Philomena's Church is located in Mysore, 1.8 miles from Mysore Palace.
The twin spires of the church towering over the trees and houses grab attention.
St. Philomena’s Church is one of the largest churches in India, and was first
built in 1843 to serve the British officers stationed at Mysore and
Srirangapatna. It was initially a simple, wooden structure for over a century,
before plans were laid down for a new, majestic structure in 1933. The present
church, completed in 1936, was designed by the French architect, Daly, in the
Neo Gothic style, and is modeled after the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. St. Philomena’s Cathedral is a Catholic church that is the cathedral of the Diocese of Mysore. The full name
is the Cathedral of St. Joseph and
St. Philomena.
The church is dedicated to St. Philomena, a Grecian princess who
was martyred in the 4th century. It is said that she was born to a Greek
monarch after much prayer. As a child, she was very pious, and showed signs of
greatness. When she was 13, her parents took her to Rome to obtain the favour
of the Emperor, who, as it turned out, was enamored by her beauty and wanted to
marry her. She refused, choosing instead to dedicate herself to God. As a
result, she was imprisoned, tortured, and eventually beheaded in Rome. Her
relics were found centuries later in one of the Roman catacombs, and, in 1926
Thamboo Chetty, the secretary of the Maharaja of Mysore, obtained one of these
relics to house in the church by her name. Inside the church is the altar with
a statue of the saint, and an idol of Christ. Above the altar are beautiful
stained glass windows from France, depicting stories from the Bible. Near the
altar are steps which lead to the crypt below, where the relics are preserved.
The sun glints over the stone and the glass, and it is an interesting church
indeed dedicated to a Greek saint, built by a French architect, for the British
soldiers, in the German style, and paid for by a Hindu king.
It is said that St. Philomena was the daughter of monarch of a
small state in Greece. Monarch was childless, hence the couple prayed to God
for a child. A year later, a daughter was born to them whom they named as
Philomena. Since her childhood, Philomena displayed great devoutness for the God.
When she was 13 years old, her father had taken her with him to Rome, where he
had gone to seek help of Emperor Diocletian. Seeing Philomena, emperor, who was
awestruck with her beauty, expressed his desire to marry her. However,
Philomena, who was already a great disciple of the God, refused to marry the
emperor. Unable to bear the rejection, emperor tortured her and gave orders to
execute her.
The people of the Catholic Community of Saint Philomena, brought
together by a desire to live the Gospel message of Jesus Christ under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit, dedicate ourselves to the service of our fellow
men and women. We do this by being a worshiping community of faith, joyfully
embracing the gifts of all its members. And by being a welcoming community that
provides a haven for all those in need, whether physical, spiritual, or
emotional. We are proclaimers of the gospel message to our parish, our community
and the world. And we are open to our baptismal call to lay ministries in the
new millenium.
Welcome to St. Philomena ParishWe, the people of the Catholic Community of
Saint Philomena, brought together by a desire to live the Gospel message of Jesus
Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, dedicate ourselves to the service
of our fellow men and women. We do this by being a worshiping community of
faith, joyfully embracing the gifts of all its members. And by being a
welcoming community that provides a haven for all those in need, whether
physical, spiritual, or emotional
The church was designed by a Frenchman named Daly. It was designed to be built
in the Neo Gothic style with inspiration drawn from the Cologne Cathedral. The
floor plan of the cathedral resembles a cross. The long part of the cross is
congregation hall called the nave. The two arms of the cross are the transepts.
The part containing the altar and the choir is the crossing. The cathedral has
a crypt that houses a statue of St. Philomena. The twin spires of the church
are 175 feet (53 m) in height and they resemble the spires of the Cologne
Cathedral and also the spires of the St. Patrick's Church in New York City. The
main hall (nave) can seat up to 800 people and contains stained glass windows
depicting scenes from the birth of Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion,
the Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ. It is considered to be Asia's
second largest church.
Anyone can visit the church till 6 in evening as the timings of
St. Philomena’s Church are from 05.00 am to 06.00 pm. It is always better to
visit in evening as then you can watch the church is being illuminated. Every
Sunday and on festival, special masses are organized while everyday masses are
conducted in morning and evenings. On 11th August, annual feast is organised at
the church. Photography is not allowed inside the church hall.
The huge congregation hall has a sitting capacity for 800 people. The glass
windows above the sanctum are beautified by stained glass portraying biblical
events like the Birth of Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the
Resurrection and the Ascension of Christ.
The hall of the church boasts of a capacity to accommodate close
to 800 people. The sanctum add more beauty to the entire structure with its
stained glass windows, displaying exquisitely drawn paintings from various
stages of Christ’s life such as birth, Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the
Resurrection and the Ascension are another major attraction here. These glasses
were made in France. There are three front doors to the church along with
various small side doors, which take you to the prayer halls. Pillars in the
church have also been crafted with exquisite flower patterns.
