Cherished possession of Pearl City
MAHALINGAM YAMAN
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The annual festival of the holy church of Mother Mary, Tuticorin, is being celebrated today.
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`Our Lady Of Snows'
The earliest shrine dedicated to Mother Mary is at Rome, the Eternal City. It was built in 352 AD, on one of the mounts identified and graced by Mother Mary with copious snowfall in hot summer. The then Pope who was an eye-witness solemnised the apparition as "Our Lady of Snows" with the annual festival falling on August 5. Thereafter, grottos, chapels, churches, cathedrals and basilicas sprung up all over the world assuming different names and some named after the places of manifestations.
In this category falls the church in Tuticorin, dedicated to Our Lady of Snows. The status of basilica was bestowed during the celebration of the 400th year in 1982 by Pope, John Paul II.
The people on the fringe of Gulf of Mannar, predominantly populated by the sea-faring Parava Community, embraced Christianity under Portuguese patronage as a token of gratitude for having restored to them the pearl fishery rights in the gulf.There are two versions regarding the source of the status of "Our Lady of Snows." The predominant view is that it was sent by Sisters of Augustinian Convent of Manila in Philippines as per the wishes of St. Xavier and it was received on June 9, 1555. The statute was initially known as "Our Lady of Mercy" and came to be called "Our Lady of Snows" from 1582 onwards. Soon after, this place, as the case every where in India, became the theatre of conflict.
The statue of Virgin Mary was shifted to various places fearing onslaught and restored to Tuticorin by 1610. Not long after that, between 1648 and 1658, when the Dutch had the upper hand in the Gulf of Mannar with head quarters in Ceylon, this area was subjected to intermittent attacks by the Dutch. Tuticorin came under the complete control of Dutch by 1658.
Rev. Fr. Vigilius Mansi, an Italian, came here as Parish priest at the close of 17th century. The statue was in his possession. He was devoted to "Our Lady of Snows" as his home Town, Trent in Italy, had a church in Her name and honour. He endeavoured to establish a permanent structure and tried to get the help of the Dutch in Ceylon but did not succeed.
But for all this, he solemnised the Church on August 5, 1713.
Eventually, the man behind this magnificent Church went back dispirited to Italy in 1720.
Annual festival
In 400 years, the small chapel has risen to the status of basilica. The basilica, a massive structure with Portuguese aesthetics, stands at a stone's throw from the shore benignly overlooking the vast stretch of the Gulf of Mannar. The towering belfry with the inscription "Fifth of the Faithful" significantly reveals that every body contributed to its raising during the first quarter of the 20th century. At high altar Mother Mary is flanked by St. Sebastian and St. Xavier. She stands on the high pedestal holding infant Jesus in her left arm and the right arm bears the pomegranate fruit. The ensconced Infant Jesus attempts to get hold of the fruit. The beads of the rosaries adorning the Mother and the infant are of pearls chosen by Rev. Fr. Mansi out of the good harvest made in 1708.
The statue, more than 500 years old, is a cherished possession of Pearl City. On occasions, "Our Lady of Snows" is taken out in procession in the golden chariot. The last procession took place in 2000. The annual festival that falls on August 5 attracts people from from all over the district, cutting across religions.
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