Basilica of Our Lady of Snows, Thoothukudi, is a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

located at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Catholic

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

centers in India dedicated to the Our Lady of Snows, a title given to

Mother Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under various titles such as virgin or queen, many of them mentioned in the Litany of Loreto. ...

. Even to this day, the Coastal People fondly call her Santa Maria Das Nevis(''Senhora, Das Nevis''), which means ''Our Lady of Snows'' in Portuguese. The

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

name refers to the

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore Santa Maria Maggiore (), also known as the Basilica of Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, is one of the four major papal basilicas and one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. The largest Marian church in Rome, it is ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The site is known for Portuguese architecture and Portuguese prayers and now it is recognised as a Tamil Nadu notable pilgrim site.

History

In 1538, St. Peter's church, the first parish was constructed with Fr. Peter Gonsalvez as the first Parish Priest. On 9 June 1555, the Miraculous statue of Mother Mary arrived Tuticorin through the ship named Santa Helena. In 1658, When the Protestant

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

rule began in the Pearl Fishery Coast, the feast of Our Lady of Snows was banned, the Catholic Churches were taken away and made warehouses and celebrating the Holy Mass was prohibited. The Dutch tried all the ways possible to convert the

Paravars Paravar (also known as Bharathar or Bharathakula Kshatriyar) is a predominantly Catholic Tamil maritime community, mainly living in the state of Tamil Nadu, and in Sri Lanka. Historically, they were inhabitants of the ''Neithal'' (coastal) lands ...

to their own faith but all their attempts failed as the Paravars were firm in their Catholic faith. The Paravars shifted the statue to different places to protect it. On 4 April 1704, Tuticorin and the surrounding villages were saved miraculously by Mother Mary from the heavy thunder bolt. In the year 1713, a new church was built and consecrated in Tuticorin, which would become the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows. The first of the notable golden festivals that take place at the church began in 1720, when Paravar elites ordered the construction of a golden car to house the Mother Mary statue and a ten-day festival. That car was used until 1806, followed by the construction of the car that is still used today. On 30 July 1982,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

elevated the building to the status of a minor basilica in an apostolic letter entitled ''Pervenusta Illa.'' Basilica of Our Lady of Snows - TOWER VIEW

Notable Parish Priests

Servant of God Rev Fr. Antony Soosainather

References

Our Lady Of Snows Golden Car Possession 2023

External links

www.snowsbasilica.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady of Snows Basilica Basilica churches in Tamil Nadu Catholic pilgrimage sites Shrines to the Virgin Mary Roman Catholic churches in Tamil Nadu Thoothukudi Churches in Thoothukudi district Roman Catholic shrines in India

History

Notable Parish Priests

See also

References

External links