Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health
The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, also known as Sanctuary of Our Lady of Velankanni, is a Christian shrine located at the town of Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, India. The shrine is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
| Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health | |
|---|---|
| Shrine Basilica Vailankanni | |
Night view of the basilica facade, facing the eastern side, Bay of Bengal | |
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health | |
| 10°40′48″N 79°50′59″E | |
| Location | Velankanni, Tamil Nadu |
| Country | India |
| Denomination | Catholic Church in India |
| Website | http://vailankannishrine.net/ |
| History | |
| Status | Minor basilica |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Good Health |
| Consecrated | 1962 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Tanjore (Thanjavur) |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Antony Anandarayar |
| Bishop(s) | Devadass Ambrose Mariadoss |
| Rector | A.M.A. Prabakar |
| Priest(s) | Arputharaj S, Vice-Rector and parish priest |
The devotion has existed since the mid-sixteenth century, and is attributed to three separate miracles believed by devotees to have been worked at the site: the apparition of the Madonna and Child to a slumbering shepherd boy, the healing of a handicapped buttermilk vendor and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a deadly sea storm.
Initially, a modest chapel was built by the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay, soon after they washed ashore safely in spite of a severe tempest. An annual novena is celebrated and draws nearly 5 million pilgrims each year.
Pope John XXIII raised the Marian shrine to the status of a minor basilica via the pontifical decree Salutem Supplicibus Dilargiens, signed and notarised on 3 November 1962. He called the shrine "The Lourdes of the East" due to the massive influx of pilgrims.