Madhu Shrine
What?
This is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine.
Where?
It is located in Mannar District and approximately 250 km from Colombo.
When?
It can be visited all year long, though August, during the annual Madhu Feast, or December to April for pleasant weather.
Madhu Shrine is a Catholic place of worship in Sri Lanka, located about 45 km from Mannar. The church building was constructed in the Portuguese style. It was endangered by the Dutch in 1670 and later by the LTTE terrorists. In the late 17th century, Joseph Vaz, an Oratorian priest, expanded the small shrine. In 1834 Bishop Bonjean renewed the Madhu Shrine building by adding a façade, the spacious presbytery, the Blessed Sacrament restful chapel, and the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The annual festival of Madhu Shrine used to be celebrated on the 2nd of July, but recently it is being celebrated on the 15th of August, simultaneously with the holy Catholic day of celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this month, many Catholic and non-Catholic pilgrims come to Mannar.
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