Church of Our Lady of Rosary of Mangalore (Portuguese: Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Mangalore), or Rosario Cathedral at Bolar is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Mangalore, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. It was the first Roman Catholic church in the Canara region.[1] Historically, this was the only parish church in Mangalore reserved for the high-caste Mangalorean Catholics.[2]
The church of Our Lady of Rosary of Mangalore was originally the church of the old Portuguese factory.[1] It was built by the Portuguese in 1568.[3] Oral tradition states that the image of the Virgin Mary at the high altar was found by the fishermen at sea; when it got caught in their net.[1] It was later brought to the church and installed there.[1] The church was the main centre of devotion for the Bamonn caste who revered the image of Our Lady of the Rosary on the high-altar.[1] It was mentioned by the Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle, when he visited Mangalore in 1623.[3]
The church was desecrated and destroyed by Mysorean ruler Tipu Sultan in 1784.[4] Reconstruction of the church later began in 1813.[3] In 1910, the structure of the old cathedral was demolished and the present cathedral erected in its place.[3] The church of Our Lady of Rosary is the only church in the Mangalore Diocese which has a dome crowning the spacious sanctuary.[3] The cross on the cathedral's dome was traditionally lit every night to serve as a beacon for seafarers.[3] The Roys stone emblem of the Portuguese King marking their landing at Mangalore lies at the entrance of the church.[3]