Santhome Basilica, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India

Santhome Basilica in Chennai(India) is built over the Tomb of St.Thomas. It is believed that the original church at Mylapore had been built by the Apostle St.Thomas himself. In 1523 a church had been built over the ruined church of the Apostle.

Santhome Church is also known as ‘Our Lady of Mylapore’. The locals of Mylapore know it as Mylai Matha.  The word Santhome or San Thome is derived from Saint Thomas, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This church is a Pilgrimage centre for Christians in India and it also has an attached Museum to it.

The present Gothic Cathedral was blessed in 1896 and was raised to the dignity of a minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII on 16th March 1956. The name of Santhome Cathedral Basilica was derived from the name St. Thomas who is an archbishop of the Catholic Christians. St. Thomas who is a hard-core devotee of Jesus Christ was buried in this place and as a tribute to his soul a church has been built up in this southern part of Marina beach.  

Commonly known as Santhome Church, the International 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. Superstitious people believed that the sand taken from the tomb of St.Thomas has miraculous healing powers.

“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.

Faithful had been to wait long years to get a little sand known as St.Thomas Sand from the tomb,as the tomb had had been opening very infrequently and with long intervals of few hundred years.

In view of the gullibility of the pilgrims and St. Thomas Christians the church has made a beautiful credit card like St.Thomas card with a little of the St. Thomas sand embedded in it. This can be carried easily like a credit card in the wallet or purse.

Santhome has few premier educational institutions. Rosary Matriculation School, St. Bedes School, Santhome Higher Secondary school, St. Raphels School and Dominic Savio School are some of them. The official residence of the Archbishop of the Madras – Mylapore Archdiocese is also in Santhome adjacent to Santhome Basilica. The Santhome high Road stretches from the light house side of the famous Marina Beach.