Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu

The shrine at Madhu grew around a statue of the Virgin carried inland by Catholics from the coast in the seventeenth century, and it has been a pilgrimage site since, with a large church built in the twentieth century in forest well away from any town. It draws Tamil and Sinhala Catholics together, and Hindus and Buddhists come as well, which is unusual and is the reason the place is spoken of the way it is. The main festival falls in August.

Background

The shrine has a history of more than 400 years and is considered the holiest Catholic shrine on the island. 20 Catholic families from Manthai brought the statue of Mary from their church to Madhu, and when they met 700 Catholics who had moved from the Jaffna peninsula into the Wanni forests, the two groups set up a new shrine with it. In the late 17th century Oratorian priests enlarged the modest shrine. Bishop Bonjean began the new church in 1872, and his successors added a facade, a presbytery, a grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and a chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. The statue was crowned on 2 July 1924, and the church was consecrated in 1944.

Source: Wikipedia, "Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu"

What you'll find

• The shrine church - the twentieth-century building around the statue.
• The statue - the seventeenth-century image the pilgrimage grew around.
• The forest setting - the shrine standing well away from any settlement.
• The mixed pilgrimage - Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists coming to the same site.

When to go

December to March is the most comfortable for travel. The main festival on 15 August brings very large numbers and the forest fills with pilgrims camping. Ordinary days are quiet.

Things to know

It is a working shrine and a place of pilgrimage rather than a sight; behaviour matters. During the August festival accommodation for a wide radius is full and roads are jammed. Facilities outside festival time are minimal.

Nearby

Mannar is northwest, and Anuradhapura is southeast.

Key facts