Where is velankanni

Vailankanni, once being the part of the parish of Nagapattinam, rose to the status of an independent parish in as the pilgrims' inflow increased. It was then that the last parish priest of the Church of the Immaculate Conception was reappointed as the first Parish priest of Vailankanni.

Till the year , the church of Nagapattinam and Vailankanni was looked after by the priests of St. Franciscan Missionaries who also looked after the province of Goa and Mylapore. In , the parish was handed over to diocesan priests and making the Diocese of Mylapore charge of Vailankanni.

The increase in the influx of devotees here pressed for an increase in the area of the Velankanni Church complex. Rozario, a Franciscan priest, expanded the small premises by extending the nave of the Church, but the ancient altar and sanctuary were preserved in their original form.

In Fr. Sebastio Xavier de Noronha expanded the Church by an another 20 ft. Two gothic domes of 82 ft. About the same time, a two-story Parochial building with facility for pilgrims was also built.

The Velankanni Church is an imposing structure with admirable architecture. Originally, the church building was created in the gothic style of architecture radiating rays of hope and piety.

While the building is painted white, the roof is made of eye-catching red coloured tile in contrast to the walls. The southern side of the church was extended in the year while the northern side underwent extension in However, it was in the year , that an extension was created of the Basilica keeping in mind the design of the Basilica in Lourdes, France.

The Velankanni Church has three chapels within its confines. A vestry is provided right behind the altar. Velankanni Church Mass Timings. Velankanni Church Hotels. If you wish to rent an accommodation near the Velankanni Church, a number of options are available at your disposal. The rooms here are available in both AC and non - AC variants and you can place a preference for a room facing the Velankanni Church as well.

Tariff of the same may range from INR - 3, per room. The now pilgrim town was once a busy port that traded with Rome and Greece. And it would have remained just that, had it not been for miraculous occurrences nearly half a millennium ago. Velankanni can be traced to the midth century and is attributed to three miracles: the apparition of Mary and the Christ Child to a slumbering shepherd boy, the curing of a lame buttermilk vendor, and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a violent sea storm.

Although all three apparitions resulted in the erection of a shrine to our Lady, it was the promise of the Portuguese sailors that caused a permanent edifice to be built at Velankanni.

In their possible subsequent visits, perhaps they brought porcelain plates, which can be seen even now illustrating bible scenes and other cultural arts of the time, to beautify the Church they had built earlier. It is a town situated on the shores of Bay of Bengal. This renowned shrine Basilica of our Lady of health draws pilgrims from all over the world. Not only Christians but also the people of other faiths come to this Church to pray at the shrine of Our lady of health.

Knowing the importance of this town the Pope in the Vatican city has declared Velankanni as a Holy city. This Roman Catholic Church has an extended Basilica, which has two floors where one can find the statue of Jesus Christ.