Milagres Church (Mangalore)
| Milagres Church | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Former names | Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Milagres |
| Alternative names | Church of Our Lady of Miracles |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Hampankatta, Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada district, |
| Country | India |
| Completed | 1680 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bishop Thomas de Castro |
Coordinates: 13°23′44″N 74°44′10″E / 13.39556°N 74.73611°E
The Milagres Church (Portuguese: Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Milagres, English: Church of Our Lady of Miracles) is a historic Roman Catholic Church situated in the Hampankatta locality of Mangalore. The church was built in 1680 by Bishop Thomas de Castro, a Theatine from Divar, Goa. The original structure was constructed at the site of the present-day cemetery. It is one of the oldest churches in Dakshina Kannada.
Due to its substantial Roman Catholic population, Mangalore occupied a prominent place in the church administration in India during the 17th century. The Goan Catholics who migrated to Canara lacked priestly leadership, as many of the migrant priests had returned to Goa when the Portuguese withdrew from the region. In 1658, a Carmelite missionary, Fr. Vincento Maria de Santa Catharina visited Canara and reported to Rome about the miserable state of Christianity in that region. The Holy See came to the aid of the Canara Christians, and appointed a Theatine, Bishop Thomas de Castro as the Vicar Apostolic of Canara and Malabar in 1674. Bishop de Castro arrived in Mangalore in 1677, and received a piece of land from the Keladi Queen Chennamma as gift. After the church was constructed there in 1680, he took up residency in its quarters. Bishop de Castro died on 16 July 1684, and his remains were buried in the south eastern corner of the cemetery, where his grave may be identified by its bronze slab next to the St. Monica Chapel.
...
Wikipedia