Santhome
Encyclopedia
Santhome is a locality in Mylapore
in Chennai
city (old Madras) in India.
, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The local Christian
belief is that the apostle came to India in A.D.52, was martyr
ed in A.D.72 at St.Thomas Mount in the City and was interred in Mylapore
. A church was built over his tomb and this is known as the San Thome Basilica. The Basilica
is one of three churches that claim to have been built over the tomb of an apostle. The other two are St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome, Italy and the church of Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela
, Spain.
Commonly known as Santhome Church, the International Shrine of St. Thomas Basilica has an underground tomb chapel where pilgrims can pray in front of the sepulchre of St. Thomas. Superstitious people believe that sand taken from the tomb has miraculous healing powers. Marco Polo
the great Venetian traveller visited the tomb in 1292 and made a record of his visit 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.
Faithful people have had to wait many years to get a little sand from the tomb, as it is only opened infrequently, at intervals of a few hundred years.
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.
and goes through in front of St. Thomas basilica towards Adyar.
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
city (old Madras) in India.
History
The word Santhome or San Thome is derived from Saint ThomasThomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The local Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
belief is that the apostle came to India in A.D.52, was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed in A.D.72 at St.Thomas Mount in the City and was interred in Mylapore
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
. A church was built over his tomb and this is known as the San Thome Basilica. The Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
is one of three churches that claim to have been built over the tomb of an apostle. The other two are St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome, Italy and the church of Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, Spain.
Commonly known as Santhome Church, the International Shrine of St. Thomas Basilica has an underground tomb chapel where pilgrims can pray in front of the sepulchre of St. Thomas. Superstitious people believe that sand taken from the tomb has miraculous healing powers. Marco Polo
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...
the great Venetian traveller visited the tomb in 1292 and made a record of his visit 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.
Faithful people have had to wait many years to get a little sand from the tomb, as it is only opened infrequently, at intervals of a few hundred years.
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.
Santhome now
Santhome has some premier educational institutions. These include Rosary Matriculation School, St. Bedes School, Santhome Higher Secondary school, St. Raphels School and Dominic Savio School. The official residence of the Archbishop of the Madras - Mylapore Archdiocese is in Santhome adjacent to the Basilica. The consulates of Russia and Spain are also in this area. The Santhome High Road stretches from the light house side of the famous Marina beachMarina Beach
Marina Beach is a beach in the city of Chennai , India, along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean. The beach runs from near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of , making it the longest urban beach in the country and the world's second longest...
and goes through in front of St. Thomas basilica towards Adyar.