Basilica · India

Basilica of Our Lady of Snows, Pallippuram

, India

"Our Lady of Snows Basilica is also known as Manju Matha Basilica"

Highlights

1The Portuguese built a fort at Pallippuram to serve as a watchtower
2It is the oldest existing European fort in India today
3There existed a sizeable Christian community in Pallippuram, a result of the missionary efforts of St Thomas the Apostle
4A small chapel was built within the fort premises soon after, to cater to the Christian community living in the vicinity and for the Portuguese working at the Pallippuram Fort
5The annual feast of the Basilica is held on the 5th of August each year

The origins of the Pallippuram church, or the Basilica of Our Lady of Snows, can be traced back to 1503. The Portuguese built a fort at Pallippuram to serve as a watchtower; it is the oldest existing European fort in India today. There existed a sizeable Christian community in Pallippuram, a result of the missionary efforts of St Thomas the Apostle.

Early History

A small chapel was built within the fort premises soon after, to cater to the Christian community living in the vicinity and for the Portuguese working at the Pallippuram Fort. By 1557 the church was brought under the Diocese of Cochin, after which it was made a parish in 1577.

The Legend

In 1789, Tippu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore, attacked the princely state of Travancore. His troops crossed the River Chalakudy and camped on its banks, intending to attack the church at Pallippuram. Tippu had by this time gained a reputation for dealing harshly with Christians and Hindus during his campaigns, having razed several of their places of worship to the ground. Fearing for their safety, the Christians in the Vypin area fled to the church and prayed for the intervention of Our Lady.

Local tradition has it that a thick mist enveloped parts of the island in answer to their prayers. At about the same time a flash flood occurred in the River Periyar, in which Tippu lost many men. Confusing the mist to be a part of the Arabian Sea, the invading army, which by now had depleted numbers, retreated northwards to Mysore. From then on the church came to be known locally as ‘Manju Matha’, or Our Lady of Snows.

Pilgrimage

The annual feast of the Basilica is held on 5 August each year. A major renovation of the church began in 2006 and was completed in time for its 500th anniversary celebrations in 2007. The church was elevated to the status of a Basilica by Pope Benedict XVI on 27 August 2012. It was a befitting tribute to a church that had survived various twists in its long history and had risen from a small chapel to be a major centre of pilgrimage in the region.