Our lady of Periyanayagi Pray For us!





http://www.pondicherryarchdiocese.org/basilica.php?link_id=3

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SHRINE

The event that attracted the attention of the world in the 19th century was the apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes, France. These apparitions have taken place in 1858 in between 11th February to 16th July. Mother Mary appeared to a young girl Bernadette 18 times from the grotto called Massabielle and revealed her name as The Immaculate Conception and invited people of all nations to come to Lourdes on pilgrimage. And Our Lady worked the miracle of the spring which still continues to flow for more than a century and the water of which cures thousands of people suffering from various diseases.

Villianur shares its importance , that it is the first shrine constructed for Our Lady of Lourdes in India. Rev.Fr.Tharbes a cousin brother of Bernadette, the visionary of Lourdes, was appointed as the Parish Priest of Villianur mission since he had a direct report of the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes. And this church is the first in the world to be named after Our Lady of Lourdes outside Lourdes, France. Added to that one pious Lady has paid for a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes and made it come from Lourdes under the direct supervision of Bernadette. It was on the 4th April 1877 the statue arrived at Pondicherry and was taken to the Cathedral after the three dangerous falls of the box containing the Holy Mother's Statue. To everybody's amaze, the statue was intact and beautiful.

It was in 1885 that Archbishop Laouenan went to Rome and reported the numerous miracles that took place in this Shrine to the Holy Father and got permission on February 21st, 1886 to declare this as an official Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Villianur and to crown the statue in his name. On his return from Rome, on 8th May 1886 during a grand celebration, witnessed by around 40,000 people during the pontifical high mass the Archbishop crowned the miraculous statue in the name of the Pope Leo XIII and declared this church as the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Villianur and attached permanent plenary indulgences to this shrine.

To know more about the Shrine visit www.villianurshrine.com

  THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF PERIYANAYAGI, KONANKUPPAM  


The Shrine of Our Lady of Periyanayagi, Konankuppam

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SHRINE

Perianayagi Madha Shrine was constructed by the great missionary Fr.Beshi. The place where the shrine is located was once a forest place. People used to come here for feeding their flocks.  In the 17th century , the Italian Father and a great missionary, Fr.Beshi, brought two statues of Mother Mary to be kept in the place where he worked, namely  Elakuruchi / Thirukavalur ( Now in Kumbakonam Diocese). He preached all over Tamil Nadu and on the way to his place he happened to pass over this forest and due to tiredness he slept under a tree with the two statues. The boys, who were looking after the cattle, playfully hid one of the statues behind the bush. Fr.Beshi was shocked to know that one of the statues was missing and went to his place sadly. 

THE SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF PERIYANAYAGI

There was a man called Kachirayar in M. Parur. He had no child. Every day he used to pray to God. One day Our Lady appeared to him in his dream and said " Kachirayar, I'm alone in the forest if you build a chapel for me , I'll give a child to you". After saying this she disappeared. Hearing this he was very much happy and began to search for the statue in the forest. As they cut the bushes and trees, they found the statue behind a big bush. This statue is placed in the shrine till today. People constructed a small chapel and placed this statue there and began to worship.

After some time Fr.Beshi happened to hear about this and came to Konankuppam and saw the small chapel built for the statue which he lost once. He was very much delighted and decided to make Konankuppam as his work place. 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 Manila, an image of the virgin, in native dress of Tamilnadu 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.

This life-size statue stands on a pedestal about ten feet high and is made of wood and painted in bright colours. In honour of it and of the Church, Beschi composed his Tamil Poem TEMBAVANI , which vying in  length with the ILIAD itself is by far the most celebrated and most voluminous of his works. He completed this work in the year 1726. The Tamil conference conducted in Madurai during 1728 - 1729 AD approved his work and published it to imbibe the greatness of this literary work.

HOW TO REACH

Konankuppam is situated in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. From Chennai it is  about 200 Kms to reach Ulundurpet which is in the Chennai - Trichy highway. From there it is about 20 minutes journey to reach Mangalampet which is in Ulundurpet - Virdhachalam road. From Mangalampet only few local buses are there to reach Konankuppam .But there'll be frequent  buses during the festival season.


MASS TIMINGS

Week days:6.00 a.m
Saturdays:6.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m.
:6.00 p.m. Novena Mass
Sundays:8.00 a.m., 11.30 a.m.
:6.00 p.m., Mass in the Substations
1st Fridays:6.00 a.m., 6.15 p.m. Mass & Eucharistic Adoration
1st Saturdays:6.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m.
:6.00 p.m. Car Procession, Mass
:Full Night Vigil Prayer from 9.00 p.m. to
Sunday 3.00 a.m. with Sunday Mass

ANNUAL FESTIVAL

Every year on the First Saturday of the month of October 'Annual Pathayathirai' is held from Ulundurpet to Our Lady of Periyanayagi Shrine Konankuppam at 2.00 p.m. At the end of the Pathayathirai there will be a Holy Mass in the Shrine.

EASTER CELEBRATIONS

A Good number of catholic faithful from the neighbouring villages throng the shrine to celebrate the Easter Triduum. This is a long standing custom which was carried down the ages.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT



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