Summer 2015 Pilgrimage: Thanksgiving journey: Destination 1

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Periyanayagi Madha shrine[1] is a famous Roman Catholic Church, dedicated to St. Mary, mother of Jesus constructed by an Italian missionary Fr. Constantine Beschi also called as Veeramamunivar. It is in Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu, India.

History[edit]

Once Konankuppam was a forest where people from the nearby village brought their flocks for grazing. During the 17th century an Italian missionary, Fr.Beshi, brought two statues of Mother Mary to consecrate at Elakurichi (Thirukavalur), where he worked. Passing through the forest on the way to Elakurichi he felt tired, and fell asleep under a tree. Children who were looking after their cattle nearby playfully hid one of the statues behind a bush. Fr. Beshi was upset to discover that a statue was missing and went on sadly.
Periya_Nayagi
A childless man called Kachirayar lived in Konankuppam. One day a lady (Mother Mary) appeared to him in a dream. The lady called Kachirayar by name. She told him she was alone in the forest and asked him to find the statue and build a chapel at that place. If he did this, she said, he would be blessed with a child. Kachirayar searched for the statue and found it in a bush. With the help of villagers, he built a chapel on the spot. The miracle happened as he had dreamt: his wife gave birth to a child.[2]
Later Fr.Beshi happened to hear about the miracle, came to Konankuppam and saw the small chapel built for the Mother Mary statue he lost. He was very much delighted and decided to stay at Konankuppam while continuing his work in the Tamil. He constructed the shrine which exists today. It is said to have been the first place of worship he erected and when it was completed he went to Madras and asked the Bishop of Mylapore to procure for him a statue from Manilla, an image of the Virgin in the native dress of Tamil Nadu and bearing the child Jesus in her arms, fashioned after a model he had made. The image eventually arrived and was set up in the church, were remains today.
Fr_Beschi
There is a life size statue of Fr. Beschi in the front of the church. An annual festival to commemorate the Madonna of the shrine begins on 14 January with a flag raising, and ends on 23 January with the procession of a decorated car.

References[edit]

  1. Jump up^ "Panoramio - Photo of Prianayagi Madha Shrine - Konankuppam". panoramio.com. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  2. Jump up^ "St.Mary’s Church – Konankuppam -Pondicherry Churches- catholic churches.in". catholicchurches.in. Retrieved 2014-06-06.

See also[edit]

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