Cathedral Of St.Thomas – Santhome Church
The name Santhome or San Thome is derived from Saint Thomas (St. thomas), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.It is a holy place of worship for the Christians, especially the Catholics, and is located near the famous Chennai Beach, Marina.
Santhome Cathedral Basilica in Chennai (India) is built over the tomb of St.Thomas. It is one among the three churches claimed to have been built over the tomb of an apostle. The other two are St. Peter’s Basilica at Rome, Italy and the Saint James the Great at Santiago, Spain Santiago de Compostela. This church is Commonly known as Santhome Church and this Shrine of St. Thomas Basilica has an underground tomb chapel where the pilgrims can pray in front of the alleged sepulchre of St. Thomas. Marco Polo the great Venetian traveller visited the tomb in 1292 and recorded about the tomb in his travel diaries.
“The Christians who go thither in pilgrimage take of the earth from the place where the saint was killed (or buried), and give a portion thereof to anyone who is sick of a quartan or a tertian fever ; and by the power of God and of St. Thomas the sick man is incontinently cured.”–Travels of Marco Polo Vol.II by Yule Edited by Cordier.
San Thome Basilica is the principal church of the Madras-Mylapore Catholic Archdiocese. In 1956, Pope Pius XII raised the church to the status of a Minor Basilica, and on February 11, 2006 it was declared as an international shrine by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. The San Thome Basilica is a pilgrimage centre for Christians in India. The church also has an attached museum.Superstitious people believed that the sand taken from the tomb of St. Thomas has miraculous healing powers.
Santhome Cathedral Basilica stands tall in the southern part of the Chennai Beach (Marina).Santhome Cathedral is located at the end of Kuthchery Road in Mylapore and was built as a tribute to St Thomas who was buried here. The church has been built in the Gothic style of architecture. Some of the important sights here include the stain glass painting of the divine moment of St Thomas’s Thomas’s meeting with the resurrected Christ. Remains of St Thomas along with a part of the bone have been preserved here. This church has seen several renovations having been made. The building is about 50 mts high.
Santhome Cathedral Basilica has a statue of Virgin Mary which is supposed to have been imported from Portugal. The cathedral was raised to the status of a Basilica by Pope Pious XII.
The Church is within the city limits of chennai, and hence accessible by any mode of transport easily. Enjoy a visit to Santhome Cathedral Basilica in a city trip to Chennai, India !!!
