Tamil Nadu Timeline

ReligionMadras State (Congress era)

Velankanni shrine raised to a minor basilica

· Velankanni

Velankanni shrine raised to a minor basilica
Rejoy2003, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Pope John XXIII raised the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Good Health at Velankanni to a minor basilica.

The shrine of Our Lady of Good Health at Velankanni on the Nagapattinam coast is one of the largest Catholic pilgrimage centres in India. Pope John XXIII raised it to the status of a minor basilica by a decree signed on 3 November 1962. He called it the 'Lourdes of the East' because of its many pilgrims. Its annual festival in late August and early September draws people of many faiths.

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