T
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he recent elevation of St Lawrence Church at
Attur to the status of Minor Basilica, has taken up the people’s faith a notch
higher. The church is situated about 5
km away from Karkala amidst the picturesque surroundings of Purpale hill.
People and tourists irrespective of religion or caste, make it a point to visit
the holy shrine.
The church was a part of the Mangalore Diocese until it was merged
into the newly created Udupi diocese in 2012.
History
The history of the church reveals that it
was founded even before 1759 AD. During Tippu Sultan’s regime, St. Lawrence was
enshrined at a place called Nakre, about seven kilometers away from the present
church. But Tippu said to have demolished the church and taken the Christians
to Srirangapatna. Thus they suffered captivity for about 13 years from 1784.
After freedom from captivity, a thatched roof
for St. Lawrence was built under the guidance of a Goan priest. After that a
shrine was constructed in 1839, which is retained behind the new church even
today.
An other legend has it that since the Nakre
Church was too old, a Goan priest
accompanied by some devotees started searching for another suitable place
taking the one foot wooden statue with him. They were tired after reaching the
Purpale hills and kept the statue there and took rest for a while. But to their
surprise they could not lift up the statue. The priest proclaimed: “Oh St.
Lawrence if you have chosen this site, we will have the church built here
itself.” In the very next attempt they could pick up the statue. So a shrine
was built for St. Lawrence in the vicinity in 1839.
In 1895 Parish priest Rev Fr. Frank Periera
organized novena and prayer services and in 1900 the new church facing north
was constructed. In 1975 Rev Fr FPS Moniz constructed a little shrine for St.
Lawrence. As the church developed, so is
the number of devotees. The main tower
of the church is built on the lines of the side tower of St. Philomena Church,
Mysore.
Minor Basilica
The shrine was elevated to the status of a Minor Basilica by Pope
Francis on April 26, 2016. The public proclamation and dedication was held on
the first of August of the same year.
St Lawrence Basilica is the 22nd in India and second in Karnataka
after St Mary’s Basilica in Bengaluru.
Holy pond
A pond behind the church is believed to
have miraculous power. The water is considered therapeutic. Hence many devotees
visit the pond and take the water with them. If you pray for your wish to be
fulfilled holding a coin in your hand and flung the same into pond, your wishes
are said to be fulfilled
Annual
feast “Saantmaari”
The annual feast known as “Saantmaari”,
transcends all barriers of religion, caste and creed. Pilgrims from all parts
of district and even from outside make a beeline to the church on the occasion.
Earlier the feast was celebrated for three days in the last of month of January
from Tuesday. Considering the increasing number of devotees it attracts, in
recent years the feast is being celebrated for five days from Sunday itself. It’s
a fair-like atmosphere with devotion and fun hanging in the air.
Some seek peace of mind, some visit to
thank St Lawrence for fulfilling their wishes and still others ensure their
dreams come true by praying here. In all
St. Lawrence is a hope for all.
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