Alappuzha district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was formed as Alleppey district on 17 August 1957, the name of the district being changed to Alappuzha in 1990. It is the smallest district of Kerala. Alleppey town, the district headquarters, was renamed Alappuzha in 2012, even though the anglicised name is still commonly used to describe the town as well as the district.
A shrine to the Virgin Mary, or Marian shrine, is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinations of Christian pilgrimages.
Arthunkal is a coastal town and a major pilgrim centre in the south Indian state of Kerala. It is 40 kilometre south of Cochin city and 21 kilometre north of Alleppey town. It is a rapidly developing satellite town of Kochi. Arthunkal lies in the taluk of Cherthala, which is in turn a part of the district of Alleppey.
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus.
Our Lady of Aparecida, is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with the Immaculate Conception.
Edathua is a small village in Kuttanad, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. It is located 12 km from Thiruvalla city center, National Highway 183 and the Thiruvalla railway station.
Our Lady of Good Health, also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni, is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by devotees. She is said to have appeared twice in the town of Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, India, in the 16th to 17th centuries.
Marian feast days in the liturgical year are celebrated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The number of Marian feasts celebrated, their names can vary among Christian denominations.
Thumpoly is coastal town in the Alappuzha district, India, and is a well-known Christian Marian pilgrimage shrine of Kerala. Thumpoly church - is a heritage church built by the Portuguese and was established in the year 1600 with stone and wood. Although this church is known in the name of Saint Thomas, it is the Mother of God, Holy Immaculate conception and her festival/ feast that made Thumpoly famous. For the first time in India, the statue of the Mother of God Holy Virgin Mary was enshrined in Thumpoly Church. Even today, Thumpoly Church still following has the traditional/heritage traditional rituals. In 1585 AD, The Confraternity-Visionary Community was established in Thumpoly Church. This church Includes under the Diocese of Alleppey - Roman Catholic Diocese of Alleppey. In the 06th century AD, a few Christians migrated to Thumpoly and established a small thatched church there called "Thomapally". Thus began the Christian tradition of Thumpoly. In AD-820 the bishops of Syria, Mar Sapor and Mar Proth, on their way from Manakodam to Kollam, visited Thumpoly, where the cross established and later the said cross came to be known as "Muthappan Kurish". Thumpoly Church, the second most important church in the Diocese of Alleppey, is expected to receive the status of the second ""Minor Basilica"" in the Diocese. Thumpoly is located at a distance of 80 km from Kochi International Airport, 60 km from Cochin city, 6 km from Alappuzha city, 20 km from Cherthala, 25 km from kuttanadu, 34 km from Changanassery and 52 km from kayamkulam. It is connected to Alappuzha, Arthunkal, Kochi, Ernakulam by road and railway. It is located on the edge of NH 66. The National Highway 66 cuts through the middle of the town. The Arabian Sea is on one side, and a small lake on the other, with the beach of Chakara in Kerala. It is a natural habitat of many rare birds. Thumpoly is known for its canals, which end their course in the Arabian Sea. There are fishing villages on the beaches. The local population are also involved in coir making. Thumpoly is located on the border of Alappuzha Municipality. Thumpoly shares border with Alappuzha Municipality and Aryad Grama Panchayat. Thumpoly church is the largest landmark of Thumpoli.
A Marian year is a designation given by the Catholic Church to calendar years in which Mary the mother of Jesus is to be particularly reverenced and celebrated. Marian years do not follow a set pattern; they may be declared by a bishop for his diocese, or a national conference of bishops for a country.
Catholic Marian churches are religious buildings dedicated to the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These churches were built throughout the history of the Catholic Church, and today they can be found on every continent including Antarctica. The history of Marian church architecture tells the unfolding story of the development of Catholic Mariology.
Mary has been one of the major subjects of Western art for centuries. There is an enormous quantity of Marian art in the Catholic Church, covering both devotional subjects such as the Virgin and Child and a range of narrative subjects from the Life of the Virgin, often arranged in cycles. Most medieval painters, and from the Reformation to about 1800 most from Catholic countries, have produced works, including old masters such as Michelangelo and Botticelli.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Alappuzha is a diocese centered on the city of Alleppey in the ecclesiastical province of Trivandrum in India. It lies along the Arabian Sea between the dioceses of Cochin and Quilon, covering an area of 333 square kilometers. The Diocese of Alappuzha is headed by the archbishop, Bishop James Raphel Anamparambil. The Episcopal see is the Bishop's House which is located near the Alappuzha Beach. The cathedral church of Alleppey is the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral located at Convent Square, Alappuzha.
Our Lady of Europe is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary patroness of Gibraltar and protectress of Europe. The entire European continent was consecrated under the protection of Our Lady of Europe in the early 14th century from the Shrine in Gibraltar where devotion continues to this day, over 700 years on.
The largest shrine of St Sebastian in the world, the church known as Arthunkal St. Andrew's Basilica and St. Sebastian's International Shrine in Arthunkal, Cherthala, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India, was constructed by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. The grand annual feast of St Sebastian Arthunkal in January, which lasts for a month accompanied by millions of pilgrims is one of the important celebrations and major attractions in India.The feast of shrine Basilica also known as makaram perunnal. The church was rebuilt in 1584 under the vicar Jacomo Fenicio, an Italian Jesuit whose devotees claim to possess powers to heal the body and mind. Devotees fondly referred to him as "Arthunkal Veluthachan", "fair skinned father". Fenicio died in 1632. Eight years after his death, the church was rebuilt again, this time reoriented to face west towards the long white-sand beach on the shores of the Arabian Sea. In 1647, a statue of St. Sebastian, struck with arrows all over his bleeding body sculptured in Milan, was brought and placed in the Arthunkal church.
Religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim.
In the Catholic Church, several locations around the world invoke the patronage of the Immaculate Conception. Catholic diocesan authorities with the expressed and written approval of the Pope in countries including the United States, Brazil, Korea, the Philippines and Spain designate the Blessed Virgin Mary as their principal patroness.
Our Mother of Sheshan or Our Lady of Sheshan (佘山聖母), also known as Our Mother of Zo-sè, is a celebrated Marian title of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by Chinese Roman Catholics. Among its religious devotees, the statue is sometimes known as Our Lady of Luck or Our Lady of Good Luck due to the Chinese symbology of "Fu" (福) associated with the styling posture of the entire image. The original image is currently enshrined in the National Shrine and Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan, in Shanghai, China.
St. Mary's Forane Church, Chalakudy, is one of the 10 Foranes or deaneries under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Irinjalakuda, which was established in 1978 by the bifurcation of Thrissur Diocese. Prior to that, Chalakudy was part of Thrissur diocese, the most ancient Diocese of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Thrissur diocese has since been elevated to an archdiocese, Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Thrissur, within which comes the Irinjalakuda diocese. There are 16 parishes under the Chalakudy Forane. The people of Chalakudy, mainly in business or service sectors, belong to middle or upper-middle-class families. Chalakudy is one of those areas in Kerala with a high concentration of Christian population, most belonging to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
