This devotional church is located in Nagapattinam District at Tamil Nadu and it is under the part of Tanjore Roman Catholic Diocese. At the same time, Church is located at the shoreline of Bay of Bengal, which exists 12 km from Nagapattinam. The church in this divine place is significant for the Roman Catholic holy place for the Goddess of Good Health.
The millions of devotees visit this holy place often to pray our Lady for various needs and thanking her for the favors got via mediation. Mother Mary appeared with the Infant Jesus in this small costal hamlet at the end of the 16th or in the early 17th century. After that, Vailankanni is the most central pilgrimage and nearly the synthesis of all Marian Sanctuaries for the holy place in the globe.
The devotees of Mother Mary come from all around the world. Day by day, the number of devout pilgrims visiting this holy place is goes on increasing. The fame of Vailankanni Matha spread gradually.
The Franciscan priest Fr. Rozario has been prolonged the small church of 24 ft. x 12 ft. constructed by the Portuguese sailors, to 70 ft. x 22 ft. by extending the nave of the Church. But the prehistoric little sanctuary and the Altar were conserved intact. As the years goes on, the Catholic faith has strengthened by ardent missionaries functioning at Vailankanni.
After some years back, even this construction has found to be inadequate. In the year 1917 Fr. Sebastio Xavier de Noronha lengthened the Church by another 20 ft. from the nave of the Church. In addition, two gothic domes of 82 ft. each one on either side of the opening facing the ocean were also constructed. At the same time, a two-story parochial construction with competence for pilgrims was also built.
Keywords: Velankanni, Roman Catholic, Tamil Nadu, church, Mother Mary
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