Work begins on Lourdes church

V) ARDINAL GERL1ER, Arch bishop of Lyons, has solemnly blessed the first construction work on an underground church at Lourdes which will accommodate 20.000 people.
To be dedicated to St. Pius X. the church is to be built underground so as not to interfere with the architectural harmony of the existing structures which surround the grotto where Our Lady appeared in 1858.
The underground church will be one of the biggest in the world. It will be about 650 ft. long and 200 ft. wide and will have no pillars to obstruct the view of the altar. Completion is planned for 1958, when the centenary of the apparitions will be celebrated.