Luz Church, Chennai

The Church of Our Lady of Light, called Luz Church after its Portuguese name Nossa Senhora da Luz, is a Catholic shrine in Mylapore, Chennai, roughly 1.5 km away from Santhome Basilica. The Portuguese built it in 1516, and its foundation stone is counted among the oldest European monuments in India. Legend tells of Franciscan friars, lost in rough seas, who were guided ashore by a mysterious light and put up the church in gratitude. The area was then thick forest, which earned it the Tamil name Kaatu Kovil, the jungle temple. Golconda forces damaged it between 1662 and 1673, and in 2010 it was declared a shrine.

The building combines Gothic arches with Baroque ornament. Inside, gold and silver leaf gilds the altars and the ceilings carry powder-blue frescoes. The feast of Our Lady of Light falls on 15 August and is marked with a grand mass and a car procession.