Following the foot steps of St Thomas in Chennai

We visit the famous San Thome Basilica, the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore. In the 10th century AD Christians from Persia, founded this Christian village of Santhome, and then they built a Church and tomb over the burial site of St.Thomas. Built in neo gothic style the present structure was built by the Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. The Shrine preserves a small bone of the Saint and the head of the lance with which the Saint was pierced. We will also get to see an ancient painting of Our Blessed Mother St. Francis Xavier used to pray.

Little Mount is our next destination in this St Thomas Tour. It is a cave in which St.Thomas hid in AD 68 and did penance. There is an opening to the east of the cave through which St.Thomas escaped when his pursuers caught up with him here. The palm print and hand print near the tunnel’s entrance are believed to be those of St.Thomas himself. We will also see the masonry cross cut at the top of the hill which is believed to be the cross before which St.Thomas prayed. Another interesting aspect of this cave is the spring inside the hill which is perennial and is supposed to be the miraculous creation of the St. Thomas himself.

On 21st december AD 72, St Thomas was murdered on this hillock. The hill has a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Expectation which was built in 1523. The altar of this shrine was built on the spot where St. Thomas was murdered. A gateway of four impressive arches surmounted by a cross bearing the inscribed date 1547 is the other interesting relic of St Thomas Mount.