Marian Basilica of Velankanni

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Marian Basilica of Velankanni, southeast view
Forecourt and two-storey portal facade in the west

The Marian Basilica of Velankanni ( Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health - "Pilgrimage Basilica of Our Lady of Health") is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church in Velankanni in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu . The “ Lourdes of the East” is visited by two million pilgrims annually during the nine-day pilgrimage festival alone, with its climax on September 8th , the feast of the Birth of Mary . The neo-Gothic basilica received the rank of minor basilica in 1962 .

history

Around 1550, the Portuguese settled in Nagapattinam , 12 km to the north . Portuguese Franciscans spread Catholic Christianity in the region. Marian apparitions before a shepherd boy and a paralyzed boy at the site of today's pilgrimage site as well as the first miraculous healings have come down to us from around 1600 . The first chapel with a venerated miraculous image was built during these years. A Portuguese ship crew enlarged and embellished them as a votive offering after they were rescued from distress at sea.

Velankanni was initially a branch church of the parish church of Nagapattinam. In 1771 the place became an independent parish. Pastoral care was the responsibility of the Franciscan order until 1889.

The original chapel was initially extended to the east by a spacious nave . As the number of pilgrims grew rapidly towards the end of the 19th century, the expansion into a neo-Gothic basilica began in 1917 . The transept arms of today's eastern half and the choir behind the old main altar with the miraculous image were built by 1933.

After the founding of the diocese of Tanjore in 1953, Our Lady of Good Health became second patroness of the diocese at the instigation of the first bishop Rajarethinam Arokiasamy Sundaram , and the pilgrimage church was given by Pope John XXIII. raised to the minor basilica. Then a new, intensive construction phase began in response to the growing multilingual stream of pilgrims. Hostel and meeting rooms and other chapels were built in the pilgrimage district, and by 1974 the basilica was doubled to the west.

The two connected churches in northern side view. From left to right: the double tower portal of the eastern church followed by the nave. Subsequently, the transept, the false gable of which largely conceals the crossing tower. Transition to the western church building whose crossing does not have a tower. On the far right the ship and the twin tower portal

architecture

The large, white plastered Marian basilica of Velankanni consists of two connected churches, both on a cross plan. The eastern with the two-tower facade portal to the east and the representative octagonal Vierungs - dome was completed 1933rd The two-storey west half, completed in 1974, with a forecourt in the west and curved ramps, is inspired by the churches in the pilgrimage district of Lourdes.

Web links

Commons : Marienbasilika von Velankanni  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Hindu , January 25, 2011
  2. gcatholic.org
  3. Shrine Miracles ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vailankannishrine.org
  4. velankannichurch.com

Coordinates: 10 ° 40 ′ 49.1 ″  N , 79 ° 50 ′ 58.6 ″  E