Place · St Sebastian shrine · India
Arthunkal
Also known as St Sebastian Shrine Arthunkal
The St Sebastian Forane Church at Arthunkal in Alappuzha district, Kerala, 50 kilometres from Alappuzha — one of the three major Marian-and-Saint pilgrimage shrines of central Kerala. The 1581 Portuguese Carmelite church was built after Vasco da Gama's successor John Fenicio established the parish; the 1647 St Sebastian statue, said to miraculously heal plague victims, became the shrine's central relic. The annual Arthunkal Perunal festival each 10-27 January draws over 2 million pilgrims (including large Hindu-Christian participation) and is one of Kerala's largest Christian pilgrimages. The shrine is a 'Veluthachan' pilgrimage — pilgrims who walk barefoot carrying candle offerings from Sabarimala-style vratam preparation.
- Function
- Religious institution & practice
- Patron dynasty
- Portuguese Travancore · Indian Union
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 9.620, 76.310
Connections (1)
- Site withinAlappuzha
The St Sebastian Shrine at Arthunkal sits within Alappuzha district, Kerala, 50 kilometres from the Alappuzha city centre. The 1581 Portuguese Carmelite church with its 1647 St Sebastian statue is one of the three major Marian-and-Saint pilgrimage shrines of central Kerala. The annual Arthunkal Perunal festival each 10-27 January draws over 2 million pilgrims — one of Kerala's largest Christian pilgrimages, with large Hindu-Christian participation making it part of the broader Alappuzha-Kottayam religious coexistence tradition.
Sources
Standard reference; district gazetteer and Wikipedia.
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