Historical Churches - Santhome Cathedral at Mylapore,Chennai, India

St. Thomas Basilica is built over the tomb of Apostle St. Thomas.  St. Thomas one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ came to India in A.D.52, martyred in A.D.72 and was buried here in  Mylapore.

Santhome Cathedral,  Mylapore,Chennai, India

There are only three basilicas built over the tomb of an apostle. St. Peter's at Rome and St. Jame's at Spain (Compestella, Santiago) are the other two. There is an underground tomb chapel below the Basilica of St. Thomas who brought Christianity to India is considered to be the Father of Indian Christianity’ here pilgrims can pray in front of the Sepulcher of St. Thomas. People believe that sand taken from the tomb has Miraculous Healing Powers. The church has made a Beautiful Credit Card for pilgrims, the St. Thomas Card, with a little of the St. Thomas sand embedded in it. This can be carried around like a normal credit card in a wallet or purse. Renovated in the early 1970s, this Basilica draws huge crowds. There is a beautiful stained glass window at The Basilica, which portrays the story of St. Thomas and the central hall has 14 wooden plaques depicting scenes from the last days of Christ. In The Cathedral is a 3ft. high statue of Virgin Mary, which was brought from Portugal in 1543. The official residence of the Archbishop of the Madras, Mylapore Archdiocese is in Santhome adjacent to The Basilica.