Church of Our Lady of Health, Velankanni, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu at dusk. This 17th Century Roman Catholic Shrine is a very popular pilgrimage centre in South India. Velankanni was, in the early 17th Century an active sea port dealing with spices and other oriental goods. The shrine started as a small thatched shed erected by the local Christian converts following the vision of Virgin Mary, first to a milkman and then a buttermilk seller and a rich local resident. The Church rose to prominence when a number of Portuguese sailor-traders whose ship got caught in a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal off Velankanni was miraculously saved by The Holy Mother and brought safely to the thatched structure. The grateful survivors built the first cement and brick church building as a mark of gratitude. This became a frequent destination of thanksgiving and worship for the Portuguese and for many local Christians. The Church was made a Parish in 1771 and elevated to the status of a Basilica in 1962.