St. Lawrence Shrine Basilica, Attur

St. Lawrence Shrine Basilica, widely called Attur Church, stands among green surroundings on the outskirts of Karkala, about 58 kilometres from Mangaluru. The Catholic church was built in 1759 and has a reputation as the site of many miracles. It is best known for the Attur Jatre, its annual festival.

The church is dedicated to St. Lawrence, a 3rd-century deacon of Rome who served Pope Sixtus II as archdeacon and looked after the church's treasury and its giving to the poor. When the Emperor Valerian ordered the killing of clergy, Sixtus was arrested and Lawrence, told to give away the church's wealth to the poor, followed him into martyrdom. The parish also runs a school and an orphanage.