imported>Nehz XZX at 20:24, 30 April 2025

2025-04-30T20:24:23Z

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{{Short description|Our Lady Of Madhu}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name = Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu
| geo =
| location = [[Mannar district]], [[Sri Lanka]]
| image = Madhu Church (Madu Church)9.jpg
| religious_affiliation = [[Roman Catholic]]
| rite = [[Latin Church|Latin Rite]]
| caption =
| consecrated =
| website =
| functional_status = Active
| architecture = yes
| architect =
| architecture_type = [[Church (building)|Church]] with shrine before it
| architecture_style = [[Baroque Revival architecture|Baroque Revival]]
| general_contractor =
| facade_direction =
| groundbreaking =
| completed =
| construction_cost =
| specifications = no
}}
[[File:Madhu Church (Madu Church)15.jpg|250px|right]]
The '''Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu''' is a [[Roman Catholic]] [[Marian shrine]] in [[Mannar district]] of [[Sri Lanka]]. With a history of more than 400 years, the shrine acts as a center of [[pilgrimage]] and [[worship]] for Sri Lankan [[Catholics]].<ref name="dailylk">S. J. Anthony Fernando [http://www.dailynews.lk/2002/08/15/fea03.html Madhu Church ready for August festival pilgrims] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217153130/http://www.dailynews.lk/2002/08/15/fea03.html |date=2007-12-17 }} Daily News, Sri Lanka</ref> The site is considered as the holiest Catholic shrine in the island<ref name="british">[http://brcslproject.gn.apc.org/slmonitor/march99/batt.html Sri Lankan Monitor] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070802000524/http://brcslproject.gn.apc.org/slmonitor/march99/batt.html |date=2007-08-02 }} on British Refugee Council.</ref> and is a well known place of devotion for both [[Tamil people|Tamil]] and [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] Catholics.<ref name="sspx1">[http://www.sspxasia.com/Countries/Sri_Lanka/NewsArchive.htm Negotiations Resume, Our Lady of Madhu is a Pilgrim of Peace] on SSPX News Archive.< pp.480</ref> The church has been a symbol of unity not just between Tamils and Sinhalese but also between people of different religions, including [[Buddhists]], [[Hindus]] and [[Protestants]].<ref name=BBC>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7336855.stm Tamil Tigers appeal over shrine] on BBC News.</ref>

[[Pope Benedict XV]] granted the image a pontifical decree of coronation on 7 April 1921 via the Prefect of the [[Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith]], Cardinal [[Willem Marinus van Rossum]]. The rite of coronation was executed on 2 July 1924.

Attendance for the August festival at times almost reached one million people before the outbreak of the [[Sri Lankan civil war|Sri Lankan Civil War]].<ref name="dailylk" /> Situated in the heart of the conflict zone, pilgrimage to this shrine was dramatically affected by the civil war with the presence of refugee camps around the shrine complex.<ref name="british" /> It [[Madhu church shelling|was shelled]] a number of times.

== History ==

=== Background ===
[[Christianity in Sri Lanka]] is not well known before the 16th century although some local traditions claim that [[Thomas (apostle)|Saint Thomas]] the [[Twelve apostles|Apostle]] was active on the island.<ref>[https://us.lakpura.com/pages/christianity Christianity in Sri Lanka] on Discover Sri Lanka</ref> [[Portugal|Portuguese]] [[missionaries]] from [[India]], especially under the authority of [[Saint Francis Xavier]], introduced [[Roman Catholicism]] to the [[Kingdom of Jaffna]] in northern Sri Lanka.<ref name="mannar">[http://www.mannardiocese.org/madhushrine/history.htm A short account of the historical and devotional development of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Madhu] on the Mannar Diocese webpage</ref> The newly converted Christians were persecuted under both the king of [[Jaffna]]<ref name="mannar" /> and the [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]].<ref name="Ceylon">[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03547c.htm Ceylon] on Catholic Encyclopedia.</ref> During this time the Catholics regrouped to form a church a few miles north in [[Manthai]], installing a statue of [[Our Lady of Good Health]] in a shrine.<ref name="mannar" />

=== The shrine in Madhu ===
[[File:Madhu Church (Madu Church)11.jpg|right|250px]]

The Dutch invasion in 1670 and the ensuing persecution of the Catholic Church<ref name="Ceylon" /> led to 20 Catholic families fleeing from Manthai, along with the statue of Mary in that church to the safer locale of Madhu.<ref name="sundaytimes">Fr. S.K. Devarajah [http://www.sundaytimes.lk/040822/plus/5.html Monument of miracles] on Sunday Times, Sri Lanka.</ref> About the same time another 700 Catholics migrated from the Jaffna peninsula into Wanni forests. When these two communities met in Madhu, they installed a new shrine with the statue.<ref name="mannar" />

=== Expansions ===
With the revival of the Catholic faith by missionaries such as [[Joseph Vaz]], [[Oratory of Saint Philip Neri|Oratorian]] priests expanded the small shrine in the late 17th century.<ref name="mannar" /> With the arrival of the [[British Empire|British]] to the island, anti-Catholic persecution ceased, but the number of Catholics remained small with just 50,000 members in 1796.<ref name="Ceylon" /> In spite of such a small community, the shrine at Madhu began attracting pilgrims from all over the country.<ref name="mannar" /> The stifling of [[Jesuit]] authority which had been established in South Asia in 1773<ref>[http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Missionary+Tropics:+The+Catholic+Frontier+in+India,+16th-17th...-a0152010918 The Catholic Frontier in India; 16-17th century] from The Free library.</ref> eventually led to the suppression of the [[Society of Jesus]] in Madhu by 1834.<ref name="mannar" /> The building of the new church was initiated by Bishop Bonjean in 1872 and his successors built a [[facade]], a spacious [[presbytery (architecture)|presbytery]], a restful [[chapel]] of the Blessed [[Sacrament]] and a [[grotto]] of [[Our Lady of Lourdes]].<ref name="sundaytimes" />

== Pontifical coronation ==
In 1920, Bishop of [[Jaffna]], André Jules Brault sought [[Pope Benedict XV]]'s sanction for the [[canonical coronation]] of the venerated image. Bishop Brault as well as the clergy and laity had petitioned the [[Holy See]] through the [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] [[Willem Marinus van Rossum]], the Prefect of the [[Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples]]. Cardinal Van Rossum personally presented the request to the Pope, who granted it in his audience of 7 April 1921. On 2 July 1924, the statue was officially crowned.<ref name="sundaytimes" />

== Consecration of the church ==
The church was consecrated in 1944 during [[World War II]]. In preparation for the consecration ceremony, a marble altar replaced the old wooden structure and the whole sanctuary was covered with white and blue marble. In spite of travel restrictions and difficulty finding transportation, more than 30,000 people came to the jungle shrine.<ref name="mannar" />

== The penitential tour ==
The statue of Our Lady of Madhu has been taken for procession thrice to the [[parish]]es in Sri Lanka, in 1948, 1974 and 2001. The latter was as a spiritual effort to encourage Catholics in Sri Lanka to pray for peace and an end to the civil war.<ref name="sundaytimes" />

== Feast day at Madhu ==
In 1870, the new bishop arranged an annual festival to be celebrated on 2 July.<ref name="mannar" /> However, in recent years the 15 August festival has drawn the biggest crowds as it is one of the most hallowed days for Catholics, the feast of the [[Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary]] into heaven, and it comes during school holidays when entire families can make the trip.<ref name="dailylk" />

== Church amidst civil war ==

=== Background ===
{{Main|Sri Lankan Civil War}}

The [[civil war]] on the [[island]]-nation of [[Sri Lanka]] lasted thirty years. Since 1983, there was on-and-off civil war, predominantly between the [[Government of Sri Lanka|government]] and the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a [[Separatism|separatist]] militant organization who fought to establish an [[Independence|independent]] state named [[Tamil Eelam]] in the [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka|north]] and [[Eastern Province, Sri Lanka|east]] of the island. It is estimated that more than 68,000 people were killed since 1983.<ref name="rw1">[http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/STED-6YNPE7?OpenDocument Sri Lanka says sinks rebel boats on truce anniversary][[Reuters]]</ref>

=== Refugee camps ===
The shrine has housed thousands of refugees since 1990.<ref name="sspx2" /> In the autumn of 1999, more than 10,000 refugees took shelter in the Madhu area, which was seen as a demilitarised zone.<ref name="sspx1" />

=== Madhu church shelling ===
{{Main|Madhu church shelling}}
{{See also|Madhu school bus bombing}}

On November 20, 1999, the area was shelled, killing 44 people and injuring more than 60; each side blamed the other.<ref name="sspx2" /><ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB723D4943B7B8E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Sri Lanka, Rebels Trade Blame in Shrine Attack at Least 35 Refugees Killed in Assault on Catholic Church] on November 22, 1999, Page 5A, San Jose Mercury News.</ref><ref name="wsws">[http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/dec1999/sri-d10.shtml Dozens of Sri Lankan refugees killed in artillery attack on church] on World Socialist Website.</ref> Catholic bishops called for the Madhu area to be a demilitarised zone with guaranteed security for pilgrims and the 15,000 refugees taking shelter.<ref name="sspx2">[http://www.sspxasia.com/Countries/Sri_Lanka/NewsArchive.htm Madhu Shrine stands as a sign of hope amidst the fury of war] on SSPX News Archive.</ref> When the violence escalated, the civilians sheltered in the premises had to flee further north; the statue itself had to be moved because of repeated shelling.<ref name=BBC />

In 2008, Sri lankan forces shelled on the church during the final war even though the place was a well known refugee camp.[http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2008/04/holy-madu-church-destroyed-tna-mp.html?m=1] In 2009, the civil war ended with the government taking control.

== See also ==
* [[Statue of Our Lady of Miracles, Jaffna patao]]
* [[Christianity in Sri Lanka]]
* [[Roman Catholicism in Sri Lanka]]
* [[Shrine of Our Lady of Matara]]
* [[Sri Lankan civil war|Sri Lankan Civil War]]
* [[Mannar Catholic martyrs (1544)]]
* [[St. Sebastian's Cathedral, Mannar]]
* [[St James' Church, Vidathaltheevu]]

== References ==
{{Commons category|Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu}}
{{reflist|colwidth=35em}}
{{Churches in Sri Lanka}}
{{coord|8.854948|80.202880|type:landmark_region:LK|format=dms|display=title}}

[[Category:Churches in Mannar District]]
[[Category:Shrines to the Virgin Mary]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1944]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in the Diocese of Mannar]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic shrines in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings]]

Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu - Revision history

imported>Nehz XZX at 20:24, 30 April 2025