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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 ...
in
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.''


Notable Parish Priests

Servant of God Rev Fr. Antony Soosainather


See also

* Other Catholic pilgrimage centres: ** Basilica of Our Lady of Snow, Pallippuram, Ernakulam,
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, India ** Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health,
Velankanni Velankanni (''Vēḷāṅkaṇṇi''), is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of ...
, Tamil Nadu, India **
St. Thomas Church, Thumpoly St. Thomas Church, Thumpoly (also known as Thumpolypally), is a Catholic pilgrimage church, named after Saint Thomas the Apostle, and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the mother of Jesus. It is located in the Ambalappuzha taluk of Alapp ...
Thumpoly Thumpoly is a coastal town in Alappuzha district, India, and is a well-known Christian Marian pilgrimage shrine of Kerala. St. Thomas Church, Thumpoly, also known as Thumpolipally, is a prominent Marian pilgrimage church in the Ambalappuzha talu ...
, Alleppey, Alappuzha
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, India.(A prominent Marian Pilgrimage Shrine Church.) ** St. Antonys Major Shrine
Uvari Uvari is a coastal village in Thisayanvilai Taluk, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is also called Karaichuthu Uvari. The total geographical area of the Uvari is around . Uvari is surrounded by Idaiyangudi, Navaladi, Kuttom and the Ba ...
** Holy Cross Church,
Manapad Manapad is a coastal village in south India, from Tuticorin and south of Tiruchendur. St. Francis Xavier came to Manapad in 1542, conducting missionary activity on the Pearl Fishery Coast. He lived in a grotto cavern on the seaward face of a c ...
, Tamil Nadu, India ** Poondi Matha Basilica (''Our Lady of Lourdes Basilica, Poondi''),
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, India ** Kamanayakkanpatti Church of Our Lady of Assumption ** Immaculate heart of Mary's Church,
Sathankulam Sathankulam is a panchayat town in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Sathankulam town is located in the banks of the Karumeni river. It is from Tiruchendur and from Tirunelveli and from Thoothukudi and from Nagercoil a ...
** Our Lady of Snow Kallikulam (''Our Lady of Snow Church, Kallikulam''),
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
, India **
St. Stephen's Church, Kombuthurai St. Stephen's Church is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Stephen, located in the village of Kombuthurai in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, India. The church was built by St. Francis Xavier in May 1544. It was abandoned by the J ...
** Our Lady of Snows, Maravankudieruppu,
Nagercoil Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...
** Our Lady of Snows,
South Thamaraikulam South Thamaraikulam is a village in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, near Nagercoil. It is the site of Thamaraikulam Pathi, one of the five holy places of Ayyavazhi Ayyavazhi (, ''Ayyāvaḻi'' , ) is a Hinduism, Hindu denomination that ...
,
Nagercoil Nagercoil, natively spelt as Nāgarkovil (, "Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a Municipal Corporation city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the ...
*
List of Jesuit sites This list includes past and present buildings, facilities and institutions associated with the Society of Jesus. In each country, sites are listed in chronological order of start of Jesuit association. Nearly all these sites have be ...


References


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