The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, also known as Sanctuary of Our Lady of Velankanni, is a Marian shrine located at the small town of Velankanni in Tamil Nadu, South India. The Roman Catholic Latin Rite Basilica is dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health. Devotion to Our Lady of Good Health of Velankanni can be traced back to the mid-16th century, and is attributed to three separate miracles at the sites surrounding the Basilica: The apparition of Blessed Mary and the Christ Child to a slumbering shepherd boy, the healing of a handicapped buttermilk vendor, and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a deadly sea storm.
Initially, only a simple and modest chapel was built by the Portuguese sailors who washed ashore safely. More than 500 years later, the 11-day festival and celebration are still observed and draws millions of pilgrims each year. The Shrine of Our Lady of Velankanni is also known as "the Lourdes of the East" because it is one of the most frequented pilgrimage centers in India.
The first Marian apparition is said to have occurred in May 1570, when a local shepherd boy was delivering milk to a nearby house. Along the way he met a beautiful woman holding a child, who asked for some milk for the little one. After giving her the milk, he continued on his way, and upon making the delivery discovered that the jug was now completely full of fresh, cool milk. A small shrine was built near the site where the boy encountered the woman, a location that came to be called Matha Kulam, which means Our Lady’s Pool.
Initially, only a simple and modest chapel was built by the Portuguese sailors who washed ashore safely. More than 500 years later, the 11-day festival and celebration are still observed and draws millions of pilgrims each year. The Shrine of Our Lady of Velankanni is also known as "the Lourdes of the East" because it is one of the most frequented pilgrimage centers in India.
The second Marian apparition is said to have happened in 1597, not far from Matha Kulam. A beautiful woman with a young boy in her arms appeared to a young crippled boy selling buttermilk. The little boy asked for some buttermilk, and after he drank it, the woman asked the boy selling buttermilk to visit a gentleman in the next town and ask him to build a chapel in her honor at that location. The boy set out quickly and realized that he was no longer lame. A small thatched chapel was quickly built in honor of Our Lady of Health, called in Tamil "Arokia Matha".
The third incident occurred when a Portuguese ship sailing from Macao to Sri Lanka was caught in a storm in the Bay of Bengal. They invoked the help of the Blessed Virgin under her title "Star of the Sea". The storm subsided and the 150 men on board were saved. It was 8 September, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. In thanksgiving, the sailors rebuilt the Shrine to Our Lady of Good Health, and continued to enhance it whenever their voyages brought them to the area.
With modifications made by the Portuguese, Velankanni Main Church (Our Lady of Good Health) was constructed in the late 16th century. To adorn the Church they had earlier built, they brought porcelain plates during their subsequent visits, which are still visible and depict bible scenes and other period cultural arts.
The main statue that the Portuguese had brought to the altar of the Shrine was Our Lady holding the Baby Jesus, standing majestically on the globe.
The church's architecture is distinctive in the Gothic style. While the buildings are white, the church's roof is made of striking red tiles that contrast with the color of the walls.
Velankanni was elevated to the status of parish in 1771, with Fr. Antonio de Rozario serving as the first parish priest. His Holiness Pope John XXIII elevated Velankanni Church to the status of Basilica in 1962.
Festivals are celebrated here with great pomp and grandeur. Every year on August 29, the feast of Our Lady begins with the hoisting of the flag and concludes on the 8th of September with the lowering of the flag.
Velankanni church is regarded as a very powerful holy place in India, where those who pray with a pure heart are cured of their ailments. People of all faiths come to this church to pray.