ST. ANNE'S NATIONAL SHRINE - ST. ANNE'S CHURCH

The present St. Anne's Church was built from 1837 to 1843 on a site that has existed since 1703 and where the first structure was established in 1762. Located between Puttala Lagoon and the ocean, it is one of the oldest and most famous Catholic shrines on the island, but is also visited by members of other religious communities. On the first Sunday of August every year, it hosts a great festival during which thousands of pilgrims come to pray to Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary. Two legends surround its creation. The first one takes place in the XVIIth century. It is that of a poor Portuguese man who fell asleep under a tree on the road between Mannar and Colombo, and upon awakening had a vision of Saint Anne who promised him wealth by leaving him a few gold coins. After two more visions, the man decided to build a church on the present site. The second legend, quite similar, takes place at the beginning of the 18th century. It tells the story of a Portuguese merchant who was shipwrecked on the coast and placed under a banyan tree the statue of Saint Anne that he had saved from the sinking ship. He then promised to return and build a church on the spot if he returned home and made his fortune. And so he did. Today, the site houses a complex composed mainly of the current church, a chapel (Sanctus Chapel) inaugurated in 2011, a museum and a hostel for pilgrims.