St. Thomas, one of the twelve Apostles of jesus Christ. He came to India in 52 A.D and died as a Martyr for the noble cause of preaching the good news in 72 A.D. We are proud and fortunate to be part of this holy land, which has been made sacred by the blood of St. Thomas who confessed "My Lord and My God". We have received the Christian faith because of the person and presence of St. Thomas.
Santhome Cathedral Basilica carries with it and International reputation of being erected over the tomb of one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, next to that of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and of St. James de Compostela in Spain.
We whole-heartedly welcome you to come and pray at the tomb of St. Thomas and receive favours through the powerful intercession of St. Thomas the Apostle of India and like him to bear witness to our faith by proclaiming that Jesus is Lord.
Mylai Madha - Our Lady of Mylapore:
The image of Our Lady of Mylapore is of wood, three feet high and represents Our Lady seated on a Throne, her hands joined in prayer and her eyes piously cast down. Seeing her in that posture, one's thoughts fly back to the invocation, "Comforter of the afflicted" of the Litany of Loretto and to the "Salve Regina"; 'turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eye of mercy towards us'. She wears a long-sleeved robe; a veil covers the head falling upon her shoulders in the form of a long mantle; both mantle and veil are gilt. Her mouth, nose and eye are finely fashioned. The whole statue reveals western workmanship and can safely be assumed to have been brought by the Portuguese. It was probably brought by Fr.Gaspar Coelho in 1543 when he came here as a Parish Priest. It is not only the oldest but also by far the most beautiful statue of Our Lady in the east of India.
The image of Our Lady of Mylapore was also very closely connected with St. Francis Xavier, the seocnd Apostle of India, who made a pilgrimage on foot from Nagapattinam to Mylapore and spent four months in continual prayer imploring God through the intercession of St.Thomas to make known to him whether it was his divine will that he should go to the Far East or not in quest of souls. St. Francis Xavier was accustomed to pass on whole nights in prayer and when he was beaten and maltreated by demons, he was heard imploring the help of the Empress of Heaven, shouting with all his might "Glorious Lady, help me, my kind Lady, will you not come to my aid?"
The image of Our Lady of Mylapore is of wood, three feet high and represents Our Lady seated on a Throne, her hands joined in prayer and her eyes piously cast down. Seeing her in that posture, one's thoughts fly back to the invocation, "Comforter of the afflicted" of the Litany of Loretto and to the "Salve Regina"; 'turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eye of mercy towards us'. She wears a long-sleeved robe; a veil covers the head falling upon her shoulders in the form of a long mantle; both mantle and veil are gilt. Her mouth, nose and eye are finely fashioned. The whole statue reveals western workmanship and can safely be assumed to have been brought by the Portuguese. It was probably brought by Fr.Gaspar Coelho in 1543 when he came here as a Parish Priest. It is not only the oldest but also by far the most beautiful statue of Our Lady in the east of India. 
