St. Anne’s Shrine Thalawila, Sri Lanka is a Roman Catholic shrine situated in Kalpitiya, western region of Puttalam District. It is considered one of the oldest and most visited Christian shrines in Sri Lanka. The church is dedicated to St. Anne, the grandmother of Jesus, and is very widely known for plenty of miracles and blessings. The miraculous statue of St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus, is lodged in a sacred Catholic shrine here, Thalawila Palliya wedged between the Puttalam lagoon and the deep blue sea.
Thalawila St. Anne’s Church peacefully nestles the cosy little Thalawila on the narrow piece of land known as the Kalpitiya peninsula, 100 miles from Colombo, lying between the Puttalam lake and the mighty Indian Ocean. Year after year, for the last fifteen decades, vast crowds of devotees, drawn from every corner of the island, have flocked to this miraculous Thalawila Church.
During the feast of St. Anne’s Church Talawila in August, an enormous crowd flocks; most of them stay overnight; some stay for a week or more. Everyone attends the feast mass held in front of the church. There are lots of vendors selling various things, families doing shopping, and kids playing all around. It’s a really fantastic atmosphere there.
St. Anne’s Shrine Thalawila Contact number: 0322 261 000
Related Post: Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, Mannar, Sri Lanka
History of St. Anne’s Shrine Thalawila
Two interesting stories exist about how St. Anne’s Shrine Thalawila came to rise on the Kalpitiya shoreline and it is evident that the origin of the church itself is built on a miracle.
The first story is accepted by a majority of believers and involves a shipwreck. According to legend, in the 18th century, a European trader was aboard a Portuguese ship dedicated to St. Anne and carrying her wooden statue. Encountering turbulent waters, the European-owned vessel was wrecked when it floundered on the rocks off the Kalpitiya coast and sank.
The ship’s captain, a man of faith, had prayed for the safety of his crew and had promised that once they were safe, he would build a chapel on this site close to Thalawila. The survivors, including the trader, had miraculously made shore safely. They spotted a large banyan tree and rested under its cool shade to escape the unbearable heat, where they placed the figurine of St. Anne. Before they left, the captain vowed that should his business prosper, he would return to the banyan tree and build a church dedicated to St. Anne in gratitude for saving them. At Kalpitiya, however, he learned that there was no hope of salvaging the cargo on board the wreck, and he sailed back to Galle to make his fortune, where his home and business lay.
News of the shipwreck reached members of the fishing community who sailed in small craft hoping to take any items that were afloat; thus, to this day, a point in this area is called “Kappalladi,” derived from the Tamil words kappal (ship) and adi (vicinity of the shipwreck). These fishermen also sought the shade of the banyan tree and were surprised to find the statue of St. Anne, lodged in a hollow of the banyan tree. They began to kneel and pray to the statue, and soon the news spread that many of their prayers had been answered. Other Catholics in the area also began to converge upon the banyan tree, and the popularity of the statue grew by leaps and bounds.
Later, the European trader, his business having prospered, returned to the banyan tree (Thalawila) with his family and is said to have built a small chapel for St. Anne’s, honoring his divine oath in fulfillment of the vow. It is believed, he made many visits here with his family.
The second story of the origins of the shrine, relates the story of how a poor Portuguese man went in search of employment from Mannar to Colombo and failed in his quest. Finding none, he made his way back up the coast. Traveling weary, he fell asleep under a big banyan tree that grew on the seashore at Thalawila, where he had a life changing divine encounter. This weary soul had fallen asleep, and was soon engulfed in a trans-like dream where he witnessed a radiant light. Having woken up in total surprise, he claimed that he saw the manifestation of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He found himself jolted out of his sleep to find the image was actually there, physically present before him. As he fell onto his knees and started to feverishly pray, he was struck by a dazzling light, a’ great awakening light’, to reveal in heavenly glory, the form of St. Anne. She told him that the image in his dream was a depiction of her and commanded him to build a church at that very spot and dedicate it to her.
It is said that he was miraculously bestowed with some gold coins, which enabled him to sail back to his country, where he raised funds for the construction of a church, returned to Kalpitiya, and built a small chapel on this site (Thalawila). It is believed that the image he found is the same statue that now adorns the church altar. The two stories are indeed centered on contrasting human characters, one a wealthy sea merchant, the other an impoverished vagabond. But the fact remains, one of them did initiate the building process.
Building the New Church (St. Anne’s Shrine Thalawila)
As the fame and miracles of the shrine gained momentum, in 1837 Fr. Pedro Caetano is said to have laid the foundation stone for a new church, and in 1843 the task was complete. The little chapel within was built in 1877. Thus, for more than 150 years, this coastal church has attracted thousands of devotees from every province of Sri Lanka and even visitors from India.
How to reach St. Anne’s Church?
St. Anne’s Shrine Thalawila is situated in Kalpitiya, in the western region of, Puttalam District.
Colombo > Negombo > Chilaw > Palaviya (See the map)
Annual Feast of St. Anne’s Church Thalawila
The annual feast of St Anne’s Church Thalawila, Kalpitiya, is celebrated, with the attendance of a large group of devotees on the first Sunday in the month of August. Thousands of devotees are expected to throng a narrow stretch of land on the north western coast of Sri Lanka each year to celebrate the annual seven day feast of St. Anne in August. They come from all walks of life, from all parts of the island, to unite as one in a common sea of humanity and to kneel in worship with faith in their hearts and a prayer on their lips.
As July ends, this sandy, sparsely populated fishing village situated on the Kalpitiya peninsula turns into a colourful celebration, and the barrenness of the land transforms into vibrant life. They put up with hundreds of tents dotting the landscape, with hardly a patch of the church’s surrounding area of over 20 acres left unoccupied by pilgrims.
The pilgrims come well equipped with cooking utensils, dry food and other necessities. Most of pilgrims are determined to live rough lives in honour of the saint and are willing to undergo hardship as a token of their gratitude for the favors granted and the blessings received from Saint Anne, the patron saint of unmarried women and childless couples. During the festival of St. Anne’s Shrine Thalawila, many will remain rooted here for the entire seven days and participate in religious activities until the final mass on Sunday.
St. Anne’s National Shrine Thalawila Mass Time
Daily masses at 7.00 a.m, 11.00 a.m and 5.00 P.m.
St. Anne’s Church Thalawila Contact Details
Address: St. Anne’s National Shrine, Thalawila Rd., Puttalam 61300, Sri Lanka. See the map.
The Story of St. Anne
St. Anne was born in Bethlehem and married Joachim from Nazareth in Galilee. Joachim was a shepherd given the task of supplying the temple of Jerusalem with sheep for sacrifices. After 20 years of marriage, Anne and Joachim remained childless into old age. Once, when Joachim overheard ridicule because of their childless state, he is said to have gone into the desert to plead with God to give them a child. After a time of fasting, an angel appeared to assure Joachim that he and Anne would be given a child they were to name Mary and dedicate to God.
In the meantime, Saint Anne wondered where her husband had gone, and in her despair at having been barren, she prayed while she watched newborn birds in their nests in her garden. She cried out, “Why was I born, Lord?” That is when angel appeared to tell her she would soon give birth to a daughter she was to name Mary. The story continues with Anne and Joachim’s joyous reunion at the golden gate of Jerusalem.
After her birth, Anne and Joachim dedicated Mary to God at the temple of Jerusalem, and she spent much of her childhood there. St. Anne had a unique position in which God entrusted to her the task of bringing up Our Lady in a holy and virtuous way. St. Anne prepared Our Lady to receive Our Lord not only into her heart, but into her very body, becoming the Mother of God. When Mary was fourteen, they betrothed her to Joseph of Nazareth, and so Mary’s story continues with the birth of her son, Jesus, and his life on earth.
The life of Saint Anne and her connection as the holy mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus were very popular with early Christians. In the year 550, a church was built in honor of St. Anne in Jerusalem. It is believed to be near where Anne, Joachim, and Mary lived.
The feast of St. Anne is July 26. There is no mention of Anne in the New Testament. The story of St. Anne comes chiefly from the Protoevangelium of James, which only dates back to the second century.
The Protoevangelium (not included in the Bible) offers the following story: In Nazareth lived Joachim and Anne, a wealthy and pious couple but without children. At a feast, Joachim presented himself to offer sacrifice in the Temple, but was rejected by a man named Ruben, under the pretext that childless men were not worthy of being admitted. Joachim, loaded with sorrow, did not return home but went to the mountains to present himself before God in solitude. Also Anne, having learned the reason for her husband’s prolonged absence, cried out to the Lord asking Him to remove the curse of infertility from her and promising to dedicate her offspring to His service.
Their prayers were heard; an angel visited Anne and told her: “Anne, the Lord has looked upon your tears; you will conceive and give birth, and the fruit of your womb will be blessed by the whole world.”
The angel made the same promise to Joachim, who returned to his wife. Anne gave birth to a daughter whom she called Mary.
St. Anne is often shown seated with a book on her lap. The child Mary stands against her, eager to listen. This depiction of St. Anne is a small explanation of what we know of this holy woman. God entrusted to St. Anne the task of raising Our Lady in a holy and virtuous home, and from a very young age, Mary looked to St. Anne to learn about God and how He works in the lives of those who love and serve Him.
Reference(s): Wikipedia | dailynews.lk | sundaytimes.lk
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