San Thomas Church, officially known as St Thomas Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Thomas, is a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

of the

Catholic Church in India The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope. There are over 23 million Catholics in India,Santhome neighbourhood of

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. The present structure dates back to 1523 AD, when it was built by the Portuguese over the tomb of

Thomas the Apostle Thomas the Apostle (; , meaning 'the Twin'), also known as Didymus ( 'twin'), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of ...

.Santhome Basilica in Chennai — A historical pilgrimage
''indiastudychannel.com''. Retrieved 30 August 2021 In 1896, it was

renovated Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...

in the Madras province according to neo-Gothic designs, as was favoured by British architects in the late 19th century.

History

Portuguese Era

In 1521, the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay-Bassein sent missionaries to

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

(now Chennai) in search of the tomb of

, who by local tradition had come to South Asia to preach the Gospel and spread the teachings of Jesus Christ. The site they found was neglected and the Portuguese decided to rebuild the

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

over the tomb. With the support and authority of King John III of Portugal they started building the church, which was consecrated in 1523. Portuguese ''

Padroado The ''Padroado'' (, "patronage") was an arrangement between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Portugal and later the Portuguese Republic, through a series of concordats by which the Holy See delegated the administration of the local churches and g ...

'' priests resumed the daily celebration of

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

(

Holy Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...

) at the site. In 1545,

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

visited the shrine and lived for about one year in the presbytery of the Santhome Church before he left for his mission in Ilha Formosa (

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

). When he lived in the church, he regularly

pray File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

ed in front of a statue of the Virgin Mother Mary and celebrated Holy Mass; he also prayed regularly at the tomb. The church was made a cathedral in 1606 by Pope Paul V with the creation of the Diocese of Saint Thomas of Mylapore.

British Era

The church was rebuilt in 1896 by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

in the style of

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

. The place where Thomas is believed to be buried is marked by the second small tower in the centre of the cathedral. Pope Pius XII honoured this cathedral church, elevating it to the dignity and rank of a

in 1956. Pope John Paul II is the only pope to have visited the church, in 1986. The church was declared a National Shrine in 2004 by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, and became known as the National Shrine of Saint Thomas Cathedral Basilica.

Architecture

Santhome Church exhibits the Gothic revival architecture style of the late 19th century. It has a

rib vault A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...

ceiling made of teak wood, with marble and granite used in other parts of the construction. It was built with 16 windows and 34

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

panels, with a main stained glass over the altar representing Thomas the Apostle touching the wound of Christ. The statue in the main altar represents "Thomas the Apostle as priest and Jesus Christ as king". In addition, there are 14

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

attached at the side wall of the cathedral. The church has two spires. The primary spire, at the left side of the church's entrance, is tall. It can be seen from a distance and serves as a bell tower. The second spire rises from the centre of the church to indicate the position of the believed tomb of Thomas. Santhome pipe

A 200-year-old British

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

is installed in the church's gallery, reached by stairs at the entrance. An adoration chapel adjoining the main church provides for silent moments before the

Blessed Sacrament The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

. This chapel can be approached from the left wing of the church apart from an exclusive entrance from the outside.

Observances

Mylai Matha

A gold-painted wooden statue of Mother Mary was brought from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Santhome Church San Thomas Church, officially known as St Thomas Cathedral Basilica and National Shrine of Saint Thomas, is a minor basilica of the Catholic Church in India, at the Santhome neighbourhood of Madras (Chennai), Chennai, in Tamil Nadu. The present ...

in 1523. It is installed at the left side of the church altar and is referred to as Our Lady of

Mylapore Mylapore (also spelt Mayilapur), or Thirumayilai, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil ...

or, locally, Mylai Matha. The feast of Mylai Matha is celebrated in

December December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...

. Worshippers show devotion to Mylai Matha on the second Saturday of the month, with special prayers, procession, rosary and benediction in the evening. The tradition is held to have begun with

Pole of St. Thomas

A wooden pole at the church is believed by worshippers to have been washed ashore and erected by

. These worshippers believe the presence of the pole saved the church from the 2004 tsunami.

Key dates

* AD 72 –

Saint Thomas the Apostle Thomas the Apostle (; , meaning 'the Twin'), also known as Didymus ( 'twin'), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of ...

believed to have died in St. Thomas Mount and was buried in

(present-day Santhome). * 1291 – Italian Franciscan missionary John of Montecorvino visited the tomb. * 1292 – Venetian explorer

Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...

visited the tomb. * 14th century –

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

missionaries visited the tomb. * 1425–1430 – Venetian explorer Nicolo Conti visited. * 1517 – Portuguese missionaries arrived in Mylapore. * 1522 – Construction of a new church over the tomb began. * 1523 – Santhome Church was opened by the Portuguese. * 1545 –

visited the church. * 1606 – Santhome Church was raised to a cathedral by Pope Paul V. * 1893 – The British started rebuilding the Portuguese cathedral with Neo-gothic styled architecture. * 1896 – Santhome Church opened by British with the status of cathedral. * 1927 – Santhome Church is granted the honor of minor basilica by Pope Pius XI, making the first minor basilica in

. * 1986 –

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited. * 2004 – The church undergoes major restoration and tomb of St. Thomas is renovated with the construction of new underground chapel. * 2006 – Santhome Church was declared a National Shrine.

Relics

Spearhead said to have killed Saint Thomas

Relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s claimed to be held at the church include: * Bones of

* Spearhead that was used to kill Saint Thomas at St. Thomas Mount * Holy relic of

* Holy relic of

Bartholomew the Apostle Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

* Holy relic of

Philomena Philomena ( ), also known as Saint Philomena (; ) or Philomena of Rome ( 10 January 291 10 August 304) was a virgin (title)#Virgin martyrs, virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three ti ...

Burials

* Bishop Louis Mathias * Bishop Antony Devotta * Archbishop Casimir Gnanadickam * Archbishop Anthony Rayappa Arulappa * Archbishop Aruldas * Bishop Francis Arthur Carvalho * Dominican Nicholas of Pistoia * Governor A. J. John

Gallery

File:Santhome spire and church sideview.jpg, Santhome Basilica View of Interior

Aerial side view File:SANTHOME CATHEDRAL- SIDE VIEW FROM BACK SIDE (EVENING MASS).jpg, Side view from behind File:Spire 1 santhome.jpg, First spire (bell tower) File:Spire 2 Santhome.jpg, Second Spire File:SANTHOME CATHEDRAL - JUST BEFORE EVENING MASS.jpg, Cathedral interior File:SANTHOME CATHEDRAL DURING MASS.jpg, Evening mass File:Santhome main altar.jpg, Main altar File:Chair of Santhome Church.jpg, Chairs File:Santhome church eagle pulpit.jpg, Eagle pulpit File:Santhome high altar.jpg, High altar statue of Jesus File:Mylai mathq.jpg, Statue of Our Lady of Mylapore File:SANTHOME CATHEDRAL- ST.THOMAS AND JESUS (INSIDE).jpg, Thomas and Jesus File:Saint Thomas tomb.jpg, Tomb of Thomas the Apostle

Stained glass

File:Santhome stained glass.jpg, Left wing File:Santhome church stained glass.jpg, Main altar File:Santhome Church window.jpg, Lower window File:Santhome Church door.jpg, Main entrance File:Santhome upper stained glass.jpg, Upper window, main altar File:Santhome choir stained glass.jpg, Upper floor File:Santhome coloured stained glass window.jpg

References

External links

Official website of San Thome Church

Previous church website (archived)

San Thome Church Youth Group
{{DEFAULTSORT:St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Chennai Roman Catholic churches completed in 1523 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1896 Basilica churches in Tamil Nadu Roman Catholic cathedrals in Tamil Nadu Roman Catholic churches in Chennai Rebuilt buildings and structures in India 1523 establishments in the Portuguese Empire Roman Catholic churches in Tamil Nadu Tombs of apostles 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in India 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in India