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St.Xavier an outstanding and dedicated priest visited the coastal areas
of Tamil Nadu from Goa, he never missed the opportunity of visiting
Kottar in Kanyakumari district which was a celebrated commercial centre
at that time. During his stay at Kottar, he used to worship St. Mary in
the small temple. He was popularly known as �Valiya Pandaram� among the
people of Kottar. While he was at Kottar, he averted the invasion of
Padagas on the people of Venad which was appreciated by the king, who
became closer to the Priest. In recognition of Xavier�s services, the
king allotted a land to him for the purpose of constructing a catholic
church at Kottar. There was already a church in 1544 in the same place,
where the St. Xavier�s church stands now.
The church records show that the church was built in the year 1600 A.D.
In the year 1865, the Church was enlarged and the shrine of our lady was
also renovated and vaulted over. In 1930, the church was raised to the
status of a Cathedral.
In 1942, in commemoration of the fourth centenary of the arrival of
St.Xavier in India, a beautiful tower to the saint, a grotto to Out
Blessed Mother and a small shrine to St.Ignatius who sent him to India
were constructed in the Cathedral premises. In 1955, the church was
further extended and the chapel of Our Lady was incorporated into the
enlarged church.
The Church of St. Xavier enjoys a great fame as a place of miracles from
early times. The annual festival is celebrated during the month of
November � December lasting for 10 days.
Landmark :
70Km south of Trivandrum
15 Km from Kanyakumari
Special Attractions :
Other Nearest Places of Interest :
|
Nearest Place |
Distance from
Church
|
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Kanyakumari |
15 KM |
|
Padbanabhapuram Palace |
15 KM |
|
How
to Reach :
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|
Nearest Airport |
Nearest Railway station
|
|
Trivandrum (State: Kerala) |
Nagercoil (State : Tamilnadu) |
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