Velankanni Church
Velankanni Church
Apart from the beautiful beaches, picturesque hill stations and the places of religious importance for the Hindus, Tamil Nadu is also home to one of the most important places for Christians, Velankanni Church, an extremely important Roman Catholic Shrine dedicated to "Our Lady of Good Health".
Velankanni Church is located in a small town on the shores of The Bay of Bengal and was a Parish under Tanjore Roman Catholic Diocese.Velankanni is well connected By Air, Rail and Road with the nearest airport in Tiruchirapalli, which is around a four hour driving from Velankanni. The nearest railway station is only 11 kilometers from the town at Nagapatinam and the city is well connected by a network of roads with all southern cities.
The shrine at Velankanni, popularly known as "Sacred Arogya Matha Church" is dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health which is believed to have miraculous healing powers. Velankanni Church is flocked daily by thousands of visitors of different creeds and beliefs and the Church itself is an amazing piece of architecture.
The main attraction for the visitors to this small hamlet is the Velankanni Church that hosts a ten day long festival starting at the end of August every year and pilgrims from all over the world visit this place at that time of the year to seek the blessings of mother Velankanni.
The visitors to Velankanni Church can also visit the beautiful Velankanni beach and the museum at Basilica that showcases splendid collection of exhibits. Tourists can also shop for local handicrafts as handloom products and silk fabrics are readily available at the Velankanni beach.