Wender·Vista
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia
on the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu

Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health

— the white basilica on the Bay of Bengal.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Velankanni stands a short walk from the surf on the Coromandel Coast, white-painted gothic with twin spires above a sand-coloured town. Pilgrims arrive on foot from far inland for the September feast. Candles burn outside the apparition shrine where, by tradition, the Virgin appeared to a Tamil milk-vendor in the sixteenth century. — from the studio

from the studio
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health
— bring it home

Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health stands at Velankanni in Nagapattinam District, on the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu, about 350 kilometres south of Chennai. The shrine traces its origin to a sixteenth-century Marian apparition reported by a local Tamil herdsman. The present white gothic-revival church carries twin spires above a long, lateral processional nave. Pope John XXIII raised it to the rank of minor basilica in 1962. The compound sits a few hundred metres inland from the Bay of Bengal.

— the year

The basilica's calendar centres on the eleven-day Velankanni Festival, from 29 August to 8 September, ending on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. Pilgrim numbers reach the millions across the festival; flags from sixteen consular states are raised on opening day. Many walk from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and farther north, often barefoot, fulfilling vows for a recovered child, a marriage, a healing. Christian, Hindu, and Muslim pilgrims all come; the shrine has long been a meeting point across faiths on the southern coast.

— the visit

Velankanni is reached most easily by road from Nagapattinam, the district town about 12 kilometres north, or from Karaikal a short drive south. Daily trains run to Nagapattinam Junction from Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, and beyond. The basilica is open to all from dawn until late evening; the apparition tank, the museum of offerings, and the seashore shrine all sit within a single walkable compound. Modest dress is asked. Footwear is left at the entry. The compound holds a memorial to those lost in the 2004 tsunami.

— informed by Wikipedia — Velankanni
— where
India · Velankanni, Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu
— position
10.6816° N · 79.8525° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
12 km N
Nagapattinam
district town
20 km S
Karaikal
coastal town
at the lake
Bay of Bengal
sea
N
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health
Nagapattinam
Karaikal
Bay of Bengal
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The name comes from the basilica's long Marian healing tradition. Like Lourdes in France, the shrine draws millions of pilgrims a year and holds a well of water associated with reported cures.

The first thatched chapel is traced to the late sixteenth century. The present gothic-revival church was completed in the early twentieth century and was raised to the rank of minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

On the Coromandel Coast of Tamil Nadu, in Nagapattinam District, about 350 kilometres south of Chennai and a few kilometres south of Nagapattinam town. The basilica sits a short walk inland from the Bay of Bengal.

The Velankanni Festival runs from 29 August to 8 September, closing on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. Eleven days of liturgy, processions, and flag-raisings draw pilgrims from across South Asia.

The basilica itself stood, on slightly higher ground a few hundred metres inland. The seashore shrine and parts of the town were heavily damaged and many were lost. A memorial stands on the compound.

Everyone. The shrine has welcomed Christian, Hindu, and Muslim pilgrims across centuries. Footwear is left at the entry and modest dress is asked of all visitors.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for that. Many Tamil Catholic families have travelled to the basilica across generations. A Small or Medium in Glossy, with a handwritten studio note, sits well on a prayer corner or entry wall.

The whites, blues, and gilded accents suit Indian Catholic prayer spaces, Coastal-modern rooms, and Jewel-tone interiors. The gothic verticals also work in a more formal Traditional setting.

A Small or Medium reads well on a home prayer console. Above a sofa, a single Large covers most three-seat sofas; a four-tile Mural carries a wider wall or stairwell.

Yes. The Dura Satin or Matte finish handles humidity, and the colour is infused into the ceramic so it does not fade with cleaning. Both finishes are scratch-resistant.

Soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasive pads or solvents. A quick wipe is enough to keep the surface clear.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in Reid Wender's studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We are a single studio and do not license artwork from outside artists.

— if this one stayed with you

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