The Shrine of Our Lady of Matara or Our Lady of Matara (Sinhala: මාතර අප ස්වාමිදුවගේ දේවස්ථානය) is a Roman Catholic church built in 1907 that tells us the famous story of the miraculous statue of Our Lady. Facing the southern seas, along this stretch of coast from Weligama to Dondra, is the shrine of Our Lady of Matara, which was once known as the Church of Our Lady of Mahature. Matara Palliya (මාතර පල්ලිය) has become famous due to the miraculous statue of our Heavenly Mother enshrined within it, which stands as a beacon light for all devotees and the entire Southern Province.
The Statue of Our Lady of Matara was taken by the sea on three occasions, and each time she miraculously returned to Matara. Though the statue’s origins are unknown, church officials claim that it is 400 years old. It is also a common belief that people who kneel and pray before this statue never go home without their prayers being answered. The annual feast of the Matara Church, which falls on the second week of September, is the single largest religious occasion in Matara that brings people from different parts of the country together. (Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Matara, an iconic town in the deep south of Sri Lanka, ornamented by a shimmering coastline, lies about 158 kilometres from Colombo and provides a great insight into Sri Lanka’s colonial era, with many majestic structures taking one back to the Portuguese, Dutch, and even British ruling eras. With age-old structures erected by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, Matara is a diversified travel destination for both local and foreign visitors that blends the old with the new.
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The Miraculous Statue of Our Lady of Matara
The Shrine of Our Lady of Matara became famous due to the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Matara enshrined in this historic church. The story of this statue has been passed down through generations. The statue, which is well over 400 years old and has been carved out of one block of ash wood. The statue’s features are characteristic of the Portuguese style sculpture of the 17th century. It is a beautiful statue of a mother and child. Mother Mary is seen in a standing position with the Child Jesus on a pedestal featuring three ocean waves.
As to who brought this statue to Sri Lanka, who the sculptor was or from which country it came, is shrouded in mystery. But the fact remains that it was with us when the Portuguese occupied the Western and Southern coasts over 300 years ago. When the Portuguese were defeated by the Dutch (1698–1796), some devout Catholics fled from the Dutch-governed area with this statue and hid it. Later, it found its way back to Matara.
The Statue Was Lost On Three Occasions
She came again, over the waves… Back to her people in Matara.
Elaborating on the historical significance, this early 17th-century Portuguese type statue of Our Lady, cut on a solid piece of ash wood, had been washed away into the sea three times, and each time it miraculously retuned to Matara.
On the first occasion, according to the legend, a huge wooden crate was pulled up by fishermen off the coast of Weligama near Matara, early in the 17th century. When the crate was opened, this beautiful statue of Mother and Child was found inside, untouched by the sea water. These fishermen handed it over to the parish priest, and it was subsequently placed at the original church at Matara, which no longer exists (St. Mary’s Church, Matara). The parish priest, Rev. Fr. Damian Arsecularatne, and the parish family have made all arrangements for the convenience of the pilgrims. This was the first time that statue returned from the sea.
On the second occasion, in the early 1900s, after over 300 years in the church of Matara, the statue looked faded and worn due to exposure and the thousands of devotees touching and kissing it. The statue was sent to Europe to be restored by a famous sculptor, Zeus of Gehent.
When the renovations were complete, the sculptor, packed the statue in a wooden crate and placed it on the ship ‘Beachy’ that set sail from Antwerp to be sent to Matara. The ship was caught in a fierce storm in the North Sea and nearly wrecked, but did manage to reach Middlesbrough, England, the next morning. Most of the cargo was found to have been destroyed or thrown away. When the ship reached Minicoy, India, it was discovered that the statue had gone missing.
An investigation was initiated by the Bishop of Galle and Belgian priests in the Galle Diocese. The Bishop of Galle wrote to friends in Belgium to try to retrieve the priceless item. These investigations traced the statue to a man in Middlesbrough. When confronted, he refused to hand over the statue unless his demands for money were met. When these demands were refused, he used a hammer to deface the statue and then threw it away. The statue was recovered and sent back to the restorer in Ghent, who made repairs and repainted it.
The Bishop of Galle, Rt. Rev. Dr. Joseph Van Reeth, took possession of the statue and set sail to Matara in the steamer Princess Alice. When he reached Colombo and looked for his luggage, the crate containing the statue could not be found. Three days later, a Belgian cargo boat named the Uckermarck arrived in Colombo with the missing crate. The excess luggage of Princess Alice had been loaded onto the Uckermarck, which set sail after the Princess Alice had left Antwerp harbor. So, the statue of our Heavenly Mother miraculously got back to Matara on a vessel.
On the third occasion, it was the 26th of December 2004 when she was carried away by the Tsunami waters with 26 worshippers, which happened to be Holy Family Sunday. She was at sea for three days and returned to the Shrine of Our Lady of Matara in a miraculous manner. The then parish priest and present Vicar General of the Galle Diocesan, Rev. Fr. Charles Hewawasam, was praying with a few members of the parish family.
Suddenly, he had a strange visitor with the good news that the miraculous statue had washed ashore, 400 metres away from the land. Fr. Charles embraced the statue, crying, “Oh Mother, we were searching for you, and you have come back to be with us.”. It was a very solemn moment. The statue of Our Lady of Matara had not lost its crown during the sea voyage. The gold chain that was on the infant Jesus was also recovered.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Matara was affected by the waters of the tsunami
On December 26, 2004, the congregation was less than usual. During communion around 9.10 am, the entire church went under water, which damaged the shrine and killed around 24 people attending Sunday Mass. With the second wave, the valuable jewellery presented in 1918 to the Blessed Mother went missing. After the water receded, Fr. Charles and a few parishioners happened to visit the main road and found a man carrying a bucket normally similar to the one used for church collections and found the entire jewellery within it.
Cholera Epidemic
During the outbreak of a major cholera epidemic, it swept the entire southern district and claimed hundreds of lives. The people rallied around the statue and prayed fervently to be freed from the dreadful disease. Then, the statue was taken in procession through the streets of Matara. People of all religions participated in the procession. After a few days, the area was declared safe by the Health Authorities.
Our dear mother answered the prayers of everyone and miraculously brought the epidemic to an end. Thereafter, no more fresh cases were reported from the area. Since then, the people of Matara have come to look upon this statue as miraculous. They presented their numerous problems to the Good Mother, and she never failed to answer them. To this day, at this holy shrine of Our Lady of Matara, people believe the Good Mother never fails to answer the prayers of the devotees who kneel at her feet.
Shrine of Our Lady of Matara Mass Times
More details could be obtained by contacting the administrator of the shrine at 0412222056.
Mass Times
Masses are scheduled daily.
Sundays at 8:00 a.m.
Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Thursday& Friday at 6:15 a.m.
First Fridays at 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Annual Feast of the Shrine of Our Lady of Matara
The annual feast of Our Lady of Matara Church is celebrated in the month of September to mark the birth of Mother Mary, our Heavenly Mother.
How to reach the Shrine of Our Lady of Matara?
Address: Shrine of Our Lady of Matara, Beach Road, Matara, Sri Lanka.
See the map for the location.
Reference(s): Wikipedia | Daily Mirror | Sunday Times
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