The formation of the city of Bangalore and the formation of St. Mary’s Church are found to be interlinked with the history of Karnataka. During the 17th Century, few Christians came from Ginjee, of Tamil Nadu, found that the land was fertile to sow white rice and began to settle down and built a small village. This village took the name ‘Bili akki palli’ because it is said that the rice they cultivated was white and also because a number of white birds were found in those rice fields. The people in order to practice their religion built a thatched hut and named it as ‘CHAPEL OF KANIKKAI MADHA’.

In June 1875, the construction of the present Church began. It was during the time of then Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. E.L. Kleiner, who later became the Bishop of Mysore. In view of the historic importance of St. Mary’s Church, the then British authorities from Delhi paid a grant for the maintenance of the Church, every year till 1948.

The present Church of St. Mary’s built by Rev. Fr. Kleiner was solemnly consecrated on 8th September 1882 by Msgr. Joannes Maria Y. Coadou, Vicar Apostolic of Mysore, in the presence of 35 priests and about 4000 Catholics of Bangalore. It is interesting to note that, all the other parishes of Bangalore were born out of this ancient parish of St. Mary’s Church.

St. Mary’s Basilica is a spacious gothic Church, designed by a French architect and built in the form of a Cross. It is 172 feet long and 50 feet broad. The imposing and magnificent tower forming the façade of the Church is 160 feet high. A beautiful statue of Mother Mary holding Child Jesus in her arms, 6 feet in height, set up in an attractive shrine just outside the Church building, is the chief object of veneration and source of inspiration for the people. Every day, Our Mother Mary is draped in a ‘Saree’ the typical dress of the Indian lady. It is said that in 1875 when the new Church was built, people tried to remove this statue in order to install it on a prominent altar inside the Church, but they failed in their effort since the statue remained immovable. This strange happening is considered even today as a sign of Our Lady’s miraculous power.