You will be picked up from your hotel in Trichy and driven to the village of Poondi, an hour’s drive away. The Basilica is a great piece of Gothic and French architectural styles and has a main tower that is 220 feet high. A row of statues of the 12 Apostles along with statues of St. Francis Xavier and Fr. C.J. Beschi stand above the portico of the Basilica. Under the dome of the Basilica is the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, one of the three original statues that were made in France after the apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes. The Basilica also contains a relic of the True Cross, believed to be the one on which Christ was crucified. The shrine was declared a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999 and is a pilgrimage center for Catholics. After your visit, enjoy lunch (own expense) at a local restaurant. After lunch you will be driven back to Trichy and dropped off at your hotel.