BASILICA OF ST PIUS X

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The Basilica of St. Pius X, known as the Underground Basilica, is the largest of the Domain's churches. It was completed in 1958 in anticipation of the enormous crowds expected in Lourdes for the centenary of the Apparitions. A modern, concrete building, it is almost entirely underground (part of the building lies beneath the Boulevard P�re R�mi Semp� above). When full it can accommodate 25,000 worshippers, the largest Catholic church in the world. The Mass was celebrated in the morning and afternoon while we were on site as shown here in this gallery. 25,000 seats were full of people converging from around the world on this day when we were here, it seemed like everyday of the year the morning and afternoon Masses were full with 25,000 attendance.

This gallery captured an afternoon Mass of ordinary time in the liturgical calendar, indeed the seating was full.

The underground church was designed by the architect Pierre Vago. The nave is oval, 191m long and 61m wide, and slopes gently upwards from the center, where the sanctuary is situated on a raised platform. The ceiling is low, at only 10m high, and is supported by 58 pre-stressed concrete pillars which meet 29 concrete beams which cross the ceiling, giving it the impression of an upturned ship. This design creates a very large open space, of 12,000m2, for maximum visibility from any part of the nave.

The walls are decorated with Stations of the Cross, a depiction of the Rosary, and a depiction of the Apparitions, making a total of 52 images, all in the local Gemmail style of overlapping stained glass.

A church of these dimensions poses several practical problems, some more easily dealt with than others. Firstly, it tends to be very cold, and radiant heaters have been installed to help keep worshipers warm. Secondly, although visibility is unobstructed in most of the nave, worshipers at the back see very little because they are so far away from the sanctuary. To remedy this, large screens have been installed on which are projected live camera images of the ceremony, in a similar manner to concerts and sports events. An additional benefit of this technique is the ability to provide real-time translation of different languages.

Finally, a structure with solid concrete walls and floors creates many unavoidable echoes, and the acoustics of the building are very poor. Even although many loudspeakers are installed throughout, the sound in many parts of the basilica is often fuzzy and indistinct. This can make it difficult to follow the ceremony, and to join in with singing.


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