Renovation work at the basilica of Our Lady of Health in Velankanni has been going on in full swing and is being executed with due care.
The work at the church located on the shores of Bay of Bengal was taken up a year ago with an aim to strengthen the ancient structure.
Realising the need to conserve the holy edifice, the authorities have planned to execute a comprehensive re-plastering programme.
Apart from conservation, the project would ensure the church’s structural stability for many more years, the church authorities said. With this aim, the authorities have roped in Gundu Rao, a noted architect from Mysore, to carry out the renovation work.
The materials used for plastering include grounded lime mortar and gallnut. “The use of these traditional aw material would restore the original beauty and strength of the structure,” a church source said. Further, the stain glasses were also being renovated. “For an ancient shrine such as the one in Velankanni, it is these stain glasses that add to the beauty of the structure,” the source said.
The stain glasses which were damaged from time to time were replaced with glasses of differing colours. The renovation work now focuses on replacing these glasses of different colours with uniformly coloured stain glasses so that the structure could regain its original grandeur.
Work on the northern and southern wings of the main shrine had been completed and re-plastering work on the central wing was on, say church sources.
The renovation was being executed with an eye to ensure the shrine’s heritage value, said Most Rev.Devadass Ambrose, Bishop of Thanjavur.
