Milagres Church, Mangalore, Karnataka India

The Church of Our Lady of Miracles, Milagres, better known as Milagres church, was built by Bishop Thomas de Castro, a Theatine priest of Salsette in 1680. It is thus more that 300 years old.

Attached to the Church is the Chapel of St. Monica, the Patroness of the Catholic Mother’s Sodality, the first of its kind in the Diocese when it was started in 1887 by Fr. Torri, S.J. He built the Chapel probably the same year. It contains a magnificent altar with a French painting of St. Monica and her son St. Augustine which is a rare piece of art. Milagres Church dates back to 1680 and is one of the oldest churches in the area. The church was built by Vicar Thomas de Castro who was a Theatine Priest of Salsette. The place is worth watching in Mangalore for the large Altar and the beautiful paintings of St Monica and St Augustine.

In the seventeenth century christianity was in a sorry state on account of a dearth of priests and the rival claims to the territory by the Sees of the Verapoly and Goa. In fact the See of the archibishop of goa was vacant for over twenty-two years. Msgr Antony Brandao was appointed Archibishop later. The Holy See seeing this state of affairs appointed Bishop Thomas de Castro Vicar Apostolic of canara and Malabar. He took up his residence at Calicut but later moved to Mangalore where he abode at Milagres near the site of the present Church.

He obtained this site from Queen Chennamal and the Bednore Kings as ‘inam’. He built the first Church at the site of the present cemetery in 1680. He died on 16 July 1684 and lies buried at the south-eastern corner of the cemetery. His grave with a bronze slab can still be identified.

Some time later, Queen Chennamal and King Basappa resumed the land. In about 1715 a Mangalorean, Fr. Pinto, secured the land again from King Somashekar II (1714-1739). His nephew Fr. A. Pinto who succeeded him, built a new Church on the site of the present one, in 1756. After his death his brother Xavier’s wife, Maryanne Monteiro, took possession of the land.

In 1763 Kanara fell under the suzerainty of Hyder Ali and in 1782, his son, Tippu Sultan. He suspected the loyalty of Christians and on Ash Wednesday, 24 February 1784 about 1,80,000 were seized by his soldiers and herded to his capital, Seringapatnam. They also destroyed 27 of their Churches including the Milagres Church. Some of the stones of this Church were utilized by Tippu to erect the Idgah on Lighhouse Hill. The Idgah still exists.