Periyanayagi madha shrine (Konankupam)
Address:
Periyanayagi madha shrine (Konankupam)
Konankuppam PO,
Mangalampettai,
Cuddalore Dt. - 606 104
Periyanayagi Madha shrine is a famous Roman Catholic Church, which is dedicated to Mary mother of Jesus constructed by an Italian missionary Fr. Constantine Beschi. He is also called as Veeramamunivar. The Church located in Cuddalur district which is in TamilNadu, India.
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
, Fr. Beschi, 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. Beschi was shocked to know that one of
the statues was missing and went to his place sadly.
There
was a man called Kachirayar in Konankuppam, who is childless. One day a
lady (Mother Mary)
appeared to him in his dream called his name and said that she is alone
in the forest. Asked him to find the statue and built a chapel at that
place so that he will be blessed with a child. Kachirayar searched for
the statue and found it in a bush. There he built a chapel with the help
of
villagers. As dreamt the miracle happened, his wife gave birth to a
child Later Fr.Beshi happened to hear about the miracle and 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,
continued his work on Tamil
over there. 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 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, were it still is today.
Every year the church carnival with flag hosting held for ten days from jan 14 to 23.
This new flag tree constructed in the year 2012.
Mass Timings:
Week days : 6.00 am - mass
Saturdays : 6.30 am - mass
Sundays : 8.00 am - mass
First Saturdays : 6.00 pm - procession and mass
Mass Timing During Carnival:
5.00 am, 6.30 am, 11.am, 3.00 pm, 6.00.pm
Mass Timing During Carnival:
5.00 am, 6.30 am, 11.am, 3.00 pm, 6.00.pm
