St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas Mount Chennai

The Church in St. Thomas Mount in Chennai was built in 1523 by the Portuguese at the summit where Saint Thomas was killed. The small hill about 300 ft high, with the eponymous name of St.Thomas was called as 'Parangi Malai' in Tamil. The local Tamil population named the hill as 'Parangi malai' meaning the mountain of a fair skinned man.

Saint Thomas Mount, traditionally known as the Calvary of St.Thomas is the place of martyrdom of the Apostle.

St.Thomas in India: St. Thomas, who was one of the 12 apostles of Christ, reached the western coast of India around 52 and 72 AD. Saint Thomas,also known as Doubting Thomas, traveled to the southern part of India to spread the teachings of Christianity. St. Thomas arrived in the Malabar Coast of India, which is now part of the state of Kerala, in the first century AD. He landed at the ancient port of Muziris (present-day Pattanam), which was a thriving trade center at the time. He established churches, and the community that traces its origins to his ministry is known as the Saint Thomas Christians or the Syro-Malabar Christians.

He then traveled to Mylapore in Chennai as part of his mission. The Little Mount area or Chinnamalai is the area where he spent the last years of his life. St. Thomas faced opposition from local religious leaders due to his teachings. Tradition holds that he angered local Brahmins (priests) by converting many people, which led to his eventual martyrdom. Some records say that a local small time king by the name of Vasudeva was upset that one of his wives had converted to Christianity and she opposed the marriage of her husband to another woman. In this part of the world, polygamy was quite common and the idea of a monogamy was abhorrent to them. The local religious leaders, the Brahmins who advise the King on many issues, were threatened by the arrival of the new religion which professed monotheism in a land of polytheism. They advocated killing the apostle to the local king who ordered the martyrdom of St.Thomas.

His bodily remains buried in Mylapore near the Luz area were later transported to Edessa. Originally when they excavated the area at the time of Portuguese, they unearthed a metal lance head, bloodstained earth inside a pot and the bones of the saint. A small hand bone of the Apostle as well as the head of the lance that was used to attack him were later preserved in the San Thome Church.

A flight of 160 steps built by the Armenian merchant Coja Petrus Uscan in the year 1726 AD, takes you to the church on St. Thomas Mount - the Church of Our Lady of Expectation (Senhora da Expectacao in Portuguese). You will find the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross with life size statues along side of the steps. Roman Catholics flock to this St.Thomas Mount during the lent season and on Good Friday for the Way of the Cross, reminiscent of the momentous event on the Mount Cavalry about 2000 years ago.

In the church at St. Thomas Mount, you can find the painting of the Madonna that was painted by St. Luke. The carved Wooden Pulpit brought from Armenia by Petrus Uscan has intricate carvings. This church was originally built by the Armenians around 530 AD. The Portuguese who landed in Pulicat in Coromandel Coast in the year 1515 AD, renovated the church in 1523. The Church enshrines the relics of finger and the toe bone of St.Thomas. In addition, the Church also holds 124 relics of Saints including the 12 disciples of Christ for veneration. This Church was declared as the National Shrine in the year 2011.

The Bleeding Cross is an interesting relic here. This bleeding Cross, chiseled by the Saint, bears his blood as he was pierced with a spear used by the assailants. This Cross was discovered in 16th Century while they were digging to lay the foundation for the Church. This Cross used to sweat blood on 18th December every year from 1558 to 1704 AD. The stone cross engraved with ornamental decorations as a bas relief has this inscription: 'In punishment by the cross was the suffering of this one, Who is the true Christ, God above and Guide ever pure'.

Chinnamalai or Little Mount, just after the Marmalong bridge in Saidapet, is a rocky area where you will find the cave that the Apostle Thomas chose for his home. At the entrance of the tunnel, you can find a visible palm print that is believed to be of the Apostle himself. Little Mount has an ancient church dedicated to our Lady of Good Health with a small vault that was built by the Portuguese in the year 1551 AD. Adjacent to this church is another comparatively recently built circular church. The perennial spring that passes by the church is reputed to have curative powers. A festival is held at Little Mount every year just after the Easter.