Our Lady of Good Health Church, Rajakkamangalam Thurai,
Kanyakumari
Our Lady
of Good Health Church is located at Rajakamangalam Thurai, a village in Kanyakumari District of Tamil
Nadu. There once used to be a long pathway in the past
running from the West to the East in the North of the village. This pathway was
mainly used by the Kings and the Courtiers of Travancore. They used to visit
their subjects as they walk along this way. Hence this pathway was blessed by
the Kings by their Majesty. As it was running across our village, it was called
Rajakal-Mangalm. Later it became Rajakamangalam and then it became
Rajakamangalam Thurai, where Thurai refers to coastal village.
There
were Christians in the village even before St. Francis Xavier arrived there.
There were about 640 Catholics in 1616 and 584 in 1716. In the late 1704 or the
beginning of 1705, the Jesuit Provincial House at Tope was destroyed. The
provincial who, then, shifted the House to Colachel feeling its inadequacy, migrated
to Rajakamangalam. There was already a well-built church at Rajakamangalam
Thurai, believed to have been put up in 1570. A Jesuit priest was probably
residing at Rajakamangalam Thurai during the suppression of the Society of
Jesus in 1773.
As the
conflagration of love for 'Our Lady of Good Health' was so profound that the
elders carried huge stones and other materials on their shoulders from miles
away to extend the small church about 150 years ago. Hence it was first
extended in 1852. The foundation stone for the present church was laid by Rt.
Rev. Bishop T. Roach Agnisswamy S.J on 20 March 1955. It took about 20 years to
complete the whole construction work. Rt. Rev. Fr. Leon Dharmaraj and Rev. Fr.
A Selvaraj were instrumental in this effort. On 8 September 1976, the new
church was blessed and dedicated to 'Our Lady of Good Health' by Rt. Rev.
Bishop Marianus Arockiasamy.
The
church tower is one of the tallest towers in South India. The present
Periyakadu parish was a substation of Rajakamangalam Thurai. Karavilai, is
another substation of Rajakamangalam Thurai, was initiated by Fr. Eugene
Kulandai in 1964. The church in Karavilai was blessed by Rt. Rev. Bishop
Marianus Arockiasamy in 1975.
The
Church is located at about 10 Kms from Nagercoil, 22 Kms from Kanyakumari, 13
Kms from Suchindram, 21 Kms from Boothapandi, 8 Kms from Kattuvilai, 10 Kms
from Muttom, 13 Kms from Mandaikadu, 17 Kms from Colachel, 18 Kms from Thuckalay,
14 Kms from Eraniel, 18 Kms from Kumaracoil, 18 Kms from Padmanabhapuram and 76
Kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Nearest Railway Station is located at Nagercoil
and Nearest Airport is located at Thiruvananthapuram.