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OUR LADY OF HEALTH OR QUEEN OF HEAVEN

 OUR LADY OF HEALTH OR QUEEN OF HEAVAN : The famous Catholic Church, Valankani ,10kms from Nagapattinam.

The immortal wisdom applies to the Premier Shrine in India       In a country like ours where "there are more gods than peoples and more temples than houses ", Vailankanni is a singular attraction and draws millions of pilgrims. The crowds of pilgrims here are irrespective of creeds and languages. The tradition recounts that the Mother of God, Mary of Nazareth appeared with the Infant Jesus in this small hamlet by the end of the 16th or in the early 17th century. Ever since, Vailankanni is the most important destination and almost the synthesis of all Marian Sanctuaries for the pilgrims of the world. 

True to the immortal wisdom and the persuasive words of Gamaliel, a Jewish expert in Law to the Sanhedrin, which wanted to nip Christianity in its bud, " ....If this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But ifit comesfrom God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourself fighting against God..." (Acts. 5:38), Vailankanni Matha devotions down through the centuries have proved it to be of divine origin and has assumed international character. Mary, the point of Unity near the 'city of Coromandel' in Vailankanni is the clear proof of international, multicultural and religious harmony. Mary here in the East, is the point of unity not only of all the Christians, but also of different ethnic, religious and social milieu. This sacred land Vailankanni which is popularly known as the Lourdes of the Orient (Lourdes is the very famous Marian Shrine of Europe in France), is 12 kilometers from Nagappatinam. Nagappattinam, a town on the coast of Bay of Bengal was referred by the early writers and the Portuguese as 'the city of Coromandel' (Imperial Gazetteer of India, XIX, 3). 

As early as in the year 1505 Ludovico de Varthema refers to the presence of Christians in this area. This area belonged to the Vijayanagar Empire of Narasinga, the Emperor. Three powerful captains were ruling these territories. They were N aiques of Madurai, Gingi and Tanjore. Nagappattinam belonged to the Tanjore Naique. (Guerreiro, II, 327; Fernao Nunes, Chronic a dos Reis Bisnaga, 72; Sewell, 384).