PilgrimstaysTuticorin, which is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows Tuticorin, was one of the largest centres of the pearl fishery trade in the ancient world. Its original inhabitants were the Paravars, a community of fishermen and divers. Owing to its wealth, Tuticorin attracted the attention of Arab traders from the 9th century. By the early 1500’s the Arabs had virtually enslaved the local people. In 1532, the Paravars approached the Portuguese at Goa, to be freed from the Moors. Eager to gain a foothold in the lucrative pearl trade the Portuguese agreed, subject to the entire community converting to Catholicism. The Paravars converted en masse and by 1537 the stage was set for their liberation. As promised, the Portuguese fleet was despatched to Tuticorin the next year. In the sea battle that ensued off Vedalai on the 27th June 1538, the Arabs were routed completely. Following the victory, the Paravars quickly regained prosperity and built the first church in thanksgiving. Dedicated to St Peter, it was completed in 1540. Two years later in 1542, St Francis Xavier arrived on those shores to further strengthen their faith. Many decades later on 5th August 1582, a new church was built and dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy. Since the date coincided with the feast of Our Mother of Snows, in course of time it came to be known as the Church of Our Lady of Snows, or popularly Snows Basilica. The statue in the Basilica was originally from a convent in the Philippines. St Francis Xavier stayed in this Augustinian convent in Manila, en route to China. Impressed by the statue he requested the sisters to give it to him. Understandably, the sisters were reluctant to part with such a beautiful piece of art. On learning of the death of St Francis Xavier in 1552 however, they acceded to the request posthumously. Installed in 1555, the statue from Manila occupies pride of place in the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows, Tuticorin to this day. The present church was consecrated on the 5th of August 1713 and completed 300 years of its existence in 2013. Four hundred years from its founding in 1582, the church was elevated to the status of a Basilica by Pope John Paul II.
Tuticorin, which is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows Tuticorin, was one of the largest centres of the pearl fishery trade in the ancient world
Its original inhabitants were the Paravars, a community of fishermen and divers
Owing to its wealth, Tuticorin attracted the attention of Arab traders from the 9th century
Following the victory, the Paravars quickly regained prosperity and built the first church in thanksgiving
Dedicated to St Peter, it was completed in 1540
The annual procession of Our Lady of Snows on the festival chariot (car) through the streets of Thoothukudi is one of the great Catholic public events in south India. The enormous decorated chariot, drawn by hundreds of devotees through streets lined with pilgrims, is a tradition that predates the Portuguese era in its basic form — Catholics here adapted the existing Tamil chariot festival tradition to their own Marian devotion.
The basilica facade — whitewashed, with towers visible across the flat coastal landscape — is the defining image of Thoothukudi Catholicism. The approach to the church through the old town gives a sense of how deeply Catholic identity is woven into the fabric of this port city.
The image of Our Lady of Snows, richly dressed in the Portuguese-influenced tradition of the Parava community, stands above the high altar surrounded by votive lamps and flower offerings. The image is said to be centuries old and is the single most venerated object in the shrine.
The area around the basilica is the heart of the old Parava fishing community — the same community that was baptised by St Francis Xavier in the 1530s. The streets are lined with the homes, shops, and churches of one of the oldest Catholic communities in Asia. Walking through this quarter is a walk through living church history.
Thoothukudi was the pearl-diving capital of the Indian Ocean for centuries — the Gulf of Mannar's pearl banks brought Portuguese, Arab, and later British traders here. Walking to the shoreline from the basilica, one stands at the coast where St Francis Xavier stood in the 1530s, baptising fishermen who had requested Christianity en masse. The sea is the same.
St Francis Xavier arrived on this coast in 1535. He found a fishing community that had requested baptism in a body and had received no clergy and no instruction. He baptised them — ten thousand of them, village by village — sometimes doing a hundred baptisms a day until his arm ached. The Parava fisher community has been Catholic ever since. Their devotion to Our Lady of Snows is nearly five centuries old. It has outlasted every empire that has passed through this port city.
“Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”
Read in full on Bible Gateway →Tuticorin, which is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows, was one of the largest centres of the pearl fishery trade in the ancient world. Its original inhabitants were the Paravars, a community of fishermen and divers. Owing to its wealth, Tuticorin attracted the attention of Arab traders from the 9th century, and by the early 1500s the Arabs had virtually enslaved the local people.
In 1532, the Paravars approached the Portuguese at Goa to be freed from the Moors. Eager to gain a foothold in the lucrative pearl trade, the Portuguese agreed, subject to the entire community converting to Catholicism. The Paravars converted en masse and by 1537 the stage was set for their liberation. As promised, the Portuguese fleet was despatched to Tuticorin the next year. In the sea battle that ensued off Vedalai on 27 June 1538, the Arabs were routed completely.
Following the victory, the Paravars quickly regained prosperity and built the first church in thanksgiving. Dedicated to St Peter, it was completed in 1540. Two years later, in 1542, St Francis Xavier arrived on those shores to further strengthen their faith. Many decades later, on 5 August 1582, a new church was built and dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy. Since the date coincided with the feast of Our Mother of Snows, in course of time it came to be known as the Church of Our Lady of Snows, or popularly Snows Basilica.
The statue in the Basilica was originally from a convent in the Philippines. St Francis Xavier stayed in this Augustinian convent in Manila en route to China. Impressed by the statue, he requested the sisters to give it to him. Understandably, the sisters were reluctant to part with such a beautiful piece of art. On learning of the death of St Francis Xavier in 1552, however, they acceded to the request posthumously. Installed in 1555, the statue from Manila occupies pride of place in the basilica to this day.
The present church was consecrated on 5 August 1713 and completed 300 years of its existence in 2013. Four hundred years from its founding in 1582, the church was elevated to the status of a Basilica by Pope John Paul II.
