The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, dedicated to Mother Mary is located in the small town of Velankanni in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This belongs to the Roman Catholic Latin Rite Basilica group. The history of this chapel can be dated back to early 16th century when Mother Mary was revered and worshipped due to the happenings of three miracles – vision of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ to a shepherd boy, cure of a lame boy who sold buttermilk and saving the Portuguese soldiers from the violent storms. Till date, there is no written proof or any supporting documentation for these miracles, however they are only being told by oral traditions.

It was the Portuguese soldiers who built the chapel and renovated it around 5 centuries ago. Today, this chapel witnesses at least 2 million devotees during the 9 day annual festival that is celebrated here in great fervour. When it comes to ranking of one of the most visited pilgrimage destinations in South India, this chapel is among the top. For its brilliant architecture, it is also nicknamed as the “Lourdes of the East”.

History

Legend has it that Mother Mary conducted three miracles at the site where the chapel is situated now. There is no written document to prove the same but oral traditions say that two of these miracles could be traced back to the 16th century and one to the 17th century.

The first visions of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ were believed to have happened during May 1570. A shepherd boy who was selling milk was confronted by a beautiful woman with a baby in her arms. The lady asked the shepherd boy for some milk to be fed to the baby. The boy gave her some milk and continued to go on his way. However, when he looked into his milk jar, he was totally surprised that his jar was full of cool and fresh milk. The site where the lady had presented herself to the shepherd boy came to be known as Matha Kulam (Pool of the sacred mother) and a small chapel was constructed on this site.

The second vision of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ was believed to have taken place at a site that was quite close to Matha Kulam. A young lame boy who was selling butter milk was confronted by a pretty lady along with a small kid. The kid asked the boy for some buttermilk. Once the kid had finished drinking it, the lady asked the buttermilk boy to run to the nearby town, visit a person there and ask him to build a chapel in Her honour at the site where she had met the boy. The boy started to run and he immediately realized that he was no longer lame. At this place, a shrine was constructed in honour of the Mother and was named as Our Lady of Health, known in the local dialect as Arokia Matha.

The third miracle happened when the Portuguese soldiers were travelling in the ship from Macao to Sri Lanka and they were caught in a huge storm. There were totally 150 soldiers and they invoked the Blessed Virgin in the title, Star of the Sea. This incident happened on the September 8th which was coincidentally the Feast of Nativity of Mary. As the Mother’s name was invoked, the fury of the storm came down and the soldiers were saved. They immediately renovated the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Health and started expanding them as and when they came to Velankanni.

During the 16th century, this place was a simple shrine under a thatched roof. During 1771, this became a chapel when the Catholics were under the control of Dutch rulers. It was during 3rd November 1962 that the Pope John XXIII approved this as a special-status chapel and came to be known as a Minor Basilica.

Architecture

Gothic style of architecture is followed in this chapel. The northern and southern sides were extended in 1933 and 1928 respectively. Some of the structures in this shrine are the three chapels, Our Lady’s Tank, Offering Centre, Residence of the Priests, Cross Stations, Rosary Stations, Mega Mahal of the shrine and the Museum of the Church. The Velankanni beach is situated right near the shrine. The entire building is in a striking white colour and the roofs are made of dark red coloured tiles.

Southern Side

During the 20th century, the Jesuits and Franciscans fought between each other to stake claim over the missionary work done at Velankanni. During 1928, Immaculate Heart of Mary’s Church was destroyed and the statues were taken from there to Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health. In 1933, two new wings were added on to the left and right sides of the Main Altar.

Northern Side

At the back of the altar, a spacious vestry was constructed. This shape then began to resemble the shape of a Latin cross. The remarkable image of Our Lady of Good Health is located right at the centre of this old altar.

Shrine Altar

Bishop Sundaram inaugurated the welcome arch during 1956. This arch welcomed the pilgrims beautifully into the fold of the shrine to be protected by Mother Mary. It was during January 1961 that a new altar, made entirely out of striking white marble, was constructed and this replaced the earlier one made out of concrete cement.

Extension Basilica: Altar

At the back of the central altar, the basilica was further extended during 1974-1975, so that pilgrims from all countries could stay there. A church with two floors containing a dome that was 93ft.tall and 82ft. gothic spirals were added to this chapel during this time, to look like the famous Lourdes Basilica in France.