Colombo, Oct. 30, 2019: The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, a historic Catholic Church in Sri Lanka’s Mannar district, has been declared a Sacred Area.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena presented the ‘Sannas Pathraya’ declaring the Our Lady of Madhu Church as a sacred area to Bishop Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando of Mannar, said the presidential secretariat October 29.

The shrine is a much respected sacred place for the Catholics as well as for Buddhists and Hindus. Thousands of local pilgrims and foreign tourists visit the 400-year-old shrine during the annual Madhu feast, as well as all year around.

Due to the severe damages caused by the war and the long absence of maintenance or restoration work, the surrounding area has become decrepit and devotees making pilgrimage to the Shrine face hardship.

Sirisena who visited the Madhu Church in July last year, paying attention to the need to develop the church and the surrounding area proposed to proclaim the areas as a sacred area and develop transportation facilities, roads, sanitation, water supply facilities, and provide accommodation facilities to the pilgrims and visitors.

The cabinet in August 2018 approved the president’s proposal to declare the Madhu Church as a sacred area.

Accordingly, special development projects are being implemented including the development of transport and road facilities in the area, improvement of water drainage systems and sanitation facilities as well as special facilities such as lodging and rest houses for the people visiting the sacred area.

Through a gazette notification, 300 acres of land have been allocated for the construction of buildings needed for the religious activities of the church. In addition, 5,000 acres of land has been reserved as protected area along with forest conservation.

Addressing the gathering, Sirisena said he was happy to see that the Madhu shrine, which has been a most revered place for all the people, was declared as a sacred area officially during his tenure.

Catholic priests and Minister of Tourism and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga were present on the occasion.

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