HISTORY

In 1858 Mother Mary appeared to a poor girl named Bernadette at Lourdes 18 times during the month of February and March. She asked Bernadette to pray and do penance for the conversion of sinners. Great crowds began to flock to Lourdes, and numerous miracles took place there making it one of the most frequented Christian pilgrimage centres.

All over the world shrines of Our Lady of Lourdes begun establishing. The Lourd Mata Mandir is one such shrine that was erected in Nagpur in 1892 in thanksgiving for favours received by devotees of Mother Mary.

In 1890 the Vicar General of Nagpur diocese, Fr. Charles Felix Pevat, MSFS, obtained a plot of 18 acres from the Bhonsle estate on the Takli Hill as a first step towards the projected building of St. Charles’ Seminary.

The following year Mr. G.B. Heysmond of Harda, an employee of the railways, made a vow to go on pilgrimage to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. But, the railway authorities were not sanctioning the necessary leave to journey to Lourdes and back. Mr. Heysmand made representations to the Church authorities.

The authorities asked him to perform a religious work followed by a sacrifice that will be more or less equal to the burden of fulfilling his original promise (of visiting the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, France).

He was told of the possibility of building a Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the recently acquired valley of Takli Hill, Nagpur. Accordingly, he donated the entire money needed for building a Grotto.

At that time the Seminary Hills was a lonely place, surrounded by thick forest. There was neither Mass nor Novena nor the celebration of a feast at the Grotto. A few people used to come there on Saturdays to pray and say the Rosary. But during the rest of the week it remained forgotten.

In 1975 the Grotto was entrusted to the newly erected Rosary Parish run by the Dominican Fathers and Brothers. Soon afterwards there were more developments of the site in and around the Grotto under the leadership of Fr. C.J. Sebastian, OP, who was then the Pastor of the Rosary Parish. Presently, Fr. Justus Paul is the Parish Priest and Fr. Jose T., OP is the parochial minister.

On February 13th 2000, Archbishop Abraham declared the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes as a pilgrim center and Lourd Mata as a Patroness of Nagpur Archdiocese. Today this place attracts thousands of people and so many people receive favours from Lourd Mata.