Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, Sri Lanka

The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine in Mannar

The shrine in the northwest of the island is an importanat place of pilgrimage for people of the different ethnicand religious communities in Sri Lanka, and is seen as symbol of reconciliation in the post-conflict period.

In his words at the shrine, Pope Francis said just as Mary never left the side of her Son on the Cross, so she never leaves the side of her suffering Sri Lankan children as they seek to return to a peaceful existence. Through the intercession of Oue Lady of Madhu, he prayed that all people may find inspiration and strength to build a future of reconcilliation, justice and peace in the country.

Christianity in Sri Lanka is not well known before the 16th century although some local traditions claim that Saint Thomas the Apostle was active in the island. The Portuguese missionaries from India, especially under the authority of Saint Francis Xavier are known to have brought Roman Catholicism to the Kingdom of Jaffna, which comprised the northern peninsula of Sri Lanka. The newly converted Christians were under persecution under both the king of Jaffna and the Dutch. During this time the Catholics regrouped to form a church in Mantai installing a statue of Our Lady of Good Health in a shrine.
The shrine in Madhu

The Dutch invasion and the persecution of the Catholic Church in 1670, led to 20 Catholic families fleeing from Mantai, along with the statue of Mary in that church to a safer locale of Madhu. About the same time another 700 Catholics migrated from Jaffna peninsula into Wanni forests. When these two communities met in Madhu they installed a new shrine with the statue.