Our Lady of Good Health
| Our Lady of Good Health Our Lady of Vailankanni Holy Mother of Good Health | |
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| Location | Velankanni, India |
| Date | 16th and 17th century |
| Witness | Young boy |
| Type | Marian apparition |
| Holy See approval | Pending approval by the Holy See |
| Shrine |
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, Velankanni, India Feast day, 8 September |
Our Lady of Good Health (Tamil: ஆரோக்கிய மாதா Ārōkkiya mātā), also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni, is a celebrated Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary believed to have appeared in Velankanni Town, Tamil Nadu, India.[1] According to traditional beliefs, the Marian apparition is said to have occurred to a young boy delivering milk to the neighbourhood when the Virgin Mary, carrying the child Jesus, is said to have appeared. This apparition has not been approved by the Holy See.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health erected by the Portuguese and the Indians stands at this site. The iconic depiction of the Madonna is unique in that it is one of two only icons where Mary is portrayed wearing an Indian Sari, while the other statue is said to have been buried with Aurangzeb, the Mughal Emperor .[2] The basilica is known as a site for pilgrims from all over India and its assembly of multilingual prayers every Christmas.[3]
History
Though there is no historical document or record about the reputed apparitions of Mary at Vailankanni, only oral tradition ascertain the two apparitions in the 16th century and the saving of the Portuguese sailors from a tempest in the Bay of Bengal in the 17th century.[4]
Basilica
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A Gothic-styled basilica stands in Velankanni in memory of the apparitions.
Feast day
September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, is also commemorated as the feast of Our Lady of Good Health. The celebration starts on 29th August and ends on the day of the feast.[5] The feast day prayers are said in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Konkani, Hindi and English.
Other churches and shrines
- Velankanni Shrine, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Annai Velankanni Shrine, Anna Nagar, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
- Our Lady of Good Health Church, Kottapattu, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu
- Church of Our Lady of Vailankanni, Farla, India.[6]
- Our Lady of Good Health Church, Mozambique.[7]
- Our Lady of Good Health Church, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Chapel of Our Lady of Good Health, Kampung Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Graha Maria Annai Velangkanni, Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Our Lady of Good Health parish church, Ontario, Canada.[8]
- Our Lady of Good Health Sanctuary, Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal
- A small chapel inside the Crypt Church at Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., United States
- Shrine of Our Lady of Health, Khairatabad, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, 500004
Movie
A Tamil language movie was made in honor of Our Lady of Good Health with the title Annai Velankanni in 1971. The movie was directed by K. Thankappan, starring major stars of Tamil cinema including Gemini Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, K. R. Vijaya, and Padmini.[9]
Gallery
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vailankanni. |
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Velankanni Main Basilica and Flag during Feast
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Velankanni Church - Front View
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Velankanni Basilica - Extension - Front View
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Veilankanni Basilica - A Panoramic Side View - Church and Church Extension seen at a stretch
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Veilankanni Basilica - Left side view
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Veilankanni Basilica - Right side view
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Veilankanni Basilica at Dusk
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Veilankanni Church Pond
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Pilgrims walking on their knees towards the Pond
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Veilankanni - Adoration Center
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Velankanni Basilica
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Chapel in Nadu Thittu where Mother Mary appeared for the first time
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A Chapel for St Sebastian at Velankanni
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Velankanni Church Office housing office, priests' residence and a shop
See also
References
- ↑ Vailankanni Church homepage
- ↑ R.V. Smith Mother Mary... in a sari from The Hindu
- ↑ "History of Vailankanni
- ↑ History of the Basilica on its home page Archived December 3, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Velankanni festival ends with feast mass on The Hindu news
- ↑ Home page of the Church in Farla
- ↑ Britannica.com entry
- ↑ Tamil Church home page
- ↑ IMDB entry on the movie