The Rosary Basilica

Above the main doors of the Rosary Basilica, two mosaic circular panels, made in the workshops of the Vatican, represent, on the left, Pope Leo XIII, and, on the right, Mgr Schoepfer, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes from 1899 to 1927.

The Blessed Virgin appeared to Bernadette with the Rosary in her hand. The Rosary Basilica, in the form of a Greek cross recounts, in its three Roman-Byzantine arches, the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the life of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin.
These mosaic walls of the Basilica are a real opportunity of catechesis. The walkway invites the pilgrim to meditate on the 15 decades of the Rosary. The mosaic of the vaulted ceiling calls Christians to turn to the Blessed Virgin and to carry out, like her "a pilgrimage of faith". The Basilica was designed by the architect Leopold Hardy and built between 1883 and 1889. It was consecrated in 1901. This Basilica has a capacity of 1,500.

Façade and tympanum of the Rosary Basilica

The interior architecture is highly symbolic. The central dome rests on 4 pillars forming a square. The circular dome represents heaven and the square base represents the earth. This is where the Eucharist that joins earth and heaven is celebrated.
Around the central dome, the arms that are the Transept and the Sanctuary contain side-altars with mosaic images of the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. The Transept on the left contains the events of the childhood of Jesus that are the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary (The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Birth of Jesus, The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple). Behind the Sanctuary, five altars show the events linked with the Passion of Jesus: the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary (The Agony in the Garden, The Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, The Carrying of the Cross, The Crucifixion). Finally, on the right Transept are altars depicting the events linked with the Resurrection of Christ, the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary (The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, The Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven, The Coronation of Our Lady).

The interior of the Rosary Basilica

The building is listed as a second class Historic Monument. It has suffered because of water ingress that has damaged the dome and the mosaics. Through the SEM for the Accueil, as a result of the co-operation between the town and the Sanctuary (a first in Europe), the greatest part of the repair work has been undertaken these past few years. This repair work can only be carried out through the generosity of the pilgrims and donors as well as state aid received by the Sanctuary (France, Region, Department and European Union)