Burying prominent figures underneath church floors has been a standard practice for centuries. Anyone attending a liturgy at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Tiruchi, for instance, might find themselves seated over the grave of the Jesuits.
The Gothic-style church, constructed between 1895 and 1903, presents a fascinating study of contrasting styles for a connoisseur of architecture as it is a replica of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Hautes-Pyrénées, France. The church is situated on the campus of St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), which was established in 1844 and is maintained by the Fathers of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits).
Link to the distant past
The church has many intriguing spiritual, cultural, and architectural facets. One of the unique attractions is the crypt which lies underneath the high altar. The ‘U’ shaped structure displays the mason’s craftsmanship and offers an astounding link to the distant past.
Over 100 deceased priests are buried in the crypt, which has long served as the resting place for Jesuit priests who died in the city. Dhanam Savarimuthu, a master mason who built the church, was given a burial here in appreciation of his work.
“This honour is usually reserved for the priests who have served the Jesuit institutions and mission in the area,” Fr. Thangadurai, house minister of the Jesuit Residence, told The Hindu.
The church is one of the oldest to house a crypt built with high ceilings. “Jesuits are among the congregations that still observe the tradition of burial in the underground crypt,” said Fr. Selvaraj, former parish priest of the church.
Many of the figures were famous at the time, but are now mostly forgotten. “The first person buried in the crypt was Fr. Berlendis, a priest at the church, and Fr. R. Rajarathinam, the former principal of the college, was the last person to be interred in the crypt, in 2021,” he added.
According to the Jesuits, the first crypts came out of ancient Christianity; they were first built in Greece and Italy as the resting places for saints, priests, martyrs, and royals deemed worthy of entombment in a church. The popularity of these underground crypts spread along with Christianity throughout early Europe, and they began to be used not only for burials but also for the storage of religious relics.
“Crypts connect us spiritually to those first Christians who worshipped God underground in the catacombs, entrusting to God the remains of their beloved dead. It is a beautiful tradition in the Catholic church, one that continues to have a great significance nearly 2,000 years later,” Fr. Selvaraj added.
A tour inside the dimly lit basement reveals the church’s history and the custom of crypt burial. The door that leads to the crypt is located just on the back side of the church near the stairway that leads to the altar. The crypt is designed to store casketed remains horizontally, one on top of the other. They are then sealed and covered with granite stone inscribed with the name, age, dates of birth and death of the deceased outside the wall.
“Following a memorial service, the casket will be interred into the crypt, with a final prayer surrounded by the kith and kin of the dead,” said Fr. Thangadurai.
Old coffins removed
In recent decades, owing to space crunch, most of the old coffins have been removed and replaced with new arrivals. “Currently, we have room for two more bodies. The headstones of the removed coffins were placed against a wall beside the church to honour the deceased,” he added.
The crypt remains closed to members of the public and is accessed when someone needs to be buried. “Since it’s over 120 years old, people don’t even know that there is a crypt beneath the church,” said Fr. Marivalan, parish priest.
In remembrance of the departed souls, a Holy Mass would be celebrated at the church and the crypt will be blessed once a year on All Souls’ Day (November 2), a day of prayer and remembrance of the faithful departed. “Last year, the area was inundated owing to heavy rain. We intend to restore the crypt as it is old,” he added. The Jesuits are considering educational tours to the crypt after the renovation.
