St. Teresa’s Shrine, Mahé, Catholic shrine in Mahé, India.
St. Teresa's Shrine, also known as the Avila Church, is a Catholic church building in Mahé, a small Union Territory on the southwest coast of India. The interior features colored glass windows depicting biblical scenes, and the surrounding complex includes a pilgrim centre, a school, and a community hall.
The shrine was founded in 1736 by Father Dominic, and repeated conflicts between French and British forces led to its reconstruction several times over the following centuries. Each rebuilding left its mark on the structure that stands today.
The shrine takes its name from Saint Teresa of Ávila, and each October the grounds fill with pilgrims who come from across the region for the annual feast. The celebration brings together families and devotees who gather outside the church as much as inside it.
The complex is open to visitors every day, but regular services are held throughout the week, so arriving outside of service times makes it easier to look around. The pilgrim centre and the school grounds are part of the same site, so it helps to stay close to the church entrance.
In 2023, Pope Francis elevated the shrine to a minor basilica through a papal decree, making it the first of its kind in North Kerala. This status places it among only a handful of such churches along the entire Malabar coast.
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