The Milk Miracle (c. 16th Century): Tradition holds that a local shepherd boy was resting near a tank (pond) when he encountered a beautiful lady holding a child. She asked him for milk for her infant, and he readily gave it. Upon returning to his master, not only did his pot miraculously refill, but the milk continued to flow abundantly. This site is now marked by the “Church of the Apparition” or “Our Lady’s Tank.”

The Lame Boy Miracle (c. 16th Century): Years later, another apparition occurred to a lame boy. The same heavenly lady appeared, asking him for buttermilk. When he presented it, she healed his leg and asked him to inform a gentleman from the nearby town of Nagapattinam about her visit. The “Shrine of the Apparition” now stands at this spot.

The Portuguese Sailors (c. 17th Century): The third significant event involved a group of Portuguese sailors caught in a violent storm in the Bay of Bengal. Fearing for their lives, they prayed to the Blessed Mother, vowing to build a church in her honor wherever they safely landed. They miraculously reached the shores of Velankanni on September 8th, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. In gratitude, they built a small thatched chapel, which gradually grew into the grand basilica we see today. This event cemented the significance of September 8th as the annual feast day.