St. Thomas Mount
Encyclopedia
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...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Located near the neighbourhood of Guindy
Guindy
Guindy is one of the important neighbourhoods of Chennai , Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the South-Western part of the city. It is the entry point or the gateway to Chennai city from the Southern parts of Tamil Nadu and the South Western suburbs of Chennai...
and very close to Chennai International Airport, St. Thomas Mount is associated with St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, who is believed to have been martyred here. The mount was originally named as Periyamalai in Tamil (பெரிய மலை, meaning the Big Mount), but is also commonly called in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
Parangi Malai (பரங்கி மலை). This word, derived from "Farangi", denoted Europeans in general and Roman Catholics in particular in the Tamil country.
Syrian Christians
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people, also known as Saint Thomas Christians, "'Nasrani Mappila'" and Nasranis, are an ethnoreligious group from Kerala, India, adhering to the various churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition...
of India trace the origin of their church to the Apostle of St.Thomas who attained martyrdom here in Chennai nearly 2000 years ago. Over a period of time, this part of Chennai was populated predominantly by Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
. A serene and beautiful relic-filled church built in 1523 by the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
stands on top of this 300-foot hillock. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
visited St. Thomas Mount on 5 February 1986.
The Indian Army operates an Officer Training Academy (OTA) at the bottom of the mount. The Southern line of the Chennai suburban railway
Chennai suburban railway
Chennai suburban railway is a commuter rail system in the Indian city of Chennai operated by the Southern Railway. Chennai has a complex railway network. The system uses electrical multiple units operating on alternating current drawn from over-head cables through the catenary system...
has a station named after St. Thomas Mount here.
Location in Context
Tradition
Original name of this place is Pirungi malai. It is believed Sage Pirungi meditated in this place and Lord Siva appeared before him in the form of Nandhi. Nandeeswarar Temple near railway station is testimony for this. That mythological origin is rejected by scholars.On the contrary, the ancient tradition that Thomas the Apostle was one of the first 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...
s to reach India and to preach Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
is well ascertained. He is believed to have reached Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
in 52
52
Year 52 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sulla and Otho...
AD and spent the last years of his life in a cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
on this hill spreading Christianity and baptizing the native people. Local belief adds that St. Thomas was killed with a spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
in 72
72
Year 72 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Vespasianus...
AD by persons hostile to him. Thus, the hillock acquired the name St. Thomas Mount.
Hill Shrine
A shrine dedicated to "Our Lady of Expectation" (Mother Mary) was built in 1523 on top of the mount. It is believed that the altar of this shrine was built on the spot where St.Thomas had died in 72 AD. At the northern foot of the mount, is a gateway of four impressive arches surmounted by a cross bearing the inscribed date 1547. A flight of 160 steps leads up to the summit of the mount. There are fourteen stations of the crossStations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
erected on the way to the summit.
In 1547, an excavation unearthed a stone cross with old Sassanid Pahlavi inscriptions on it. The cross, believed by the Christians to have been chiselled by the Thomas himself, became known as the 'Bleeding Cross' as it purportedly has stains resembling blood stains which reappear even after being scrubbed off. It is also believed to 'bleed' afresh periodically. It first 'bled' publicly during Mass in 1558 and the last record occasion when it 'bled' was in 1704. Fr. Guy Tachard, a Roman Catholic priest has recorded about this as explained by then Vicar, Fr. Gasper Coelho. Thomas is supposed to have clutched this cross as he lay dying. When it was discovered, the cross was built into the wall being the altar of the church, which it adorns even today. On either side of the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
there are framed oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
s depicting the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Above the altar is an oil painting of The Madonna, which is believed to be one of the seven painted by Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
and brought to India by Thomas. This picture of the Madonna is considered to be the oldest Christian painting in India.
The shrine administration is in the hands of the newly formed Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
(Latin Rite) diocese of Chengalpattu.
The annual Festival of Our Lady of Expectation is celebrated on 18 December. Saint Thomas day is celebrated on the 3rd of July, in memory of his death.
During the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
season, faithful climb the steps to the church, singing hymns and saying the "Way of the Cross" prayers. Petrus Woskan, a merchant paved the way with granite steps in order to make the climbing easy. It is also said that the oil paintings and beautifully carved Pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
are also from the same benefactor.
Adjoining the church, is the convent of the "Holy Apostles Convent", managed by the priests of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, or the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary is a Roman Catholic order founded by Sister Mary of the Passion, Helene de Chappotin, in 1877 at Ootacamund, India....
(FMM) order. Attached to this there is a home for the physically and mentally challenged children run by the nuns of the convent.
Little Mount Shrine
The Little Mount (locally known as the Chinnamalai —the small mount), is a rocky prominence where Thomas is believed to have chosen a tiny cave as his home and led a spartan prayerful life in solitude, often praying on the top of the hill and preaching to the crowds. Today, this monument hewn out of rock with its small narrow opening has an altar with the image of St. Thomas used as a prayer home. To the east of this cave is an opening, supposedly that of a tunnel through which he fled from his alleged assailants to St. Thomas Mount. The Christian faithful believe that the opening (window) was miraculously made and through this Thomas escaped from his enemies who were waiting in front of the entrance. Near the tunnel's entrance is a clearly visible palm print. This hand-print and the footprint at the foot of the hillock, are believed to be those of Thomas himself.Little Mount has an ancient church built by the Portuguese in 1551. At the entrance is a portrait of Thomas and Portuguese inscription, while a masonry cross at the top of the hill marks the spot where Thomas supposedly preached.
St. Thomas Garrison Church
St. Thomas Garrison Church is a 175 year old Church located at the foothills of the Mount. Built by the British, it is a magnificent Church.In the year 1824, the Mount Church commonly and popularly known as GARRISON CHURCH was designed to seat 460 persons at a cost of Rs.35,000/- providing accommodation only for the Garrison of Mount. The estimates and plans were revised to seat 600, at a cost of Rs.39,455/- to serve the purpose of both the Garrisons stationed at Mount and Pallavaram. The erection took place in 1825/26 and was completed at a cost of Rs.43,773/-. It was solemnly consecrated and named in honour of Thomas on 31 October 1830, by Bishop Turner of Calcutta. On September 27, 1949 the Church of South India was formed from then on it become part of Church of South India, Diocese of Madras as ST. THOMAS (GARRISON)and ST. STEPHEN ENGLISH Pastorate.
St. Thomas Sand
St. Thomas Sand is the sand taken from the tomb of Thomas at MylaporeMylapore
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...
, India. The relics of St.Thomas, the Apostle, had been already transferred to Italy and Portugal via Syria. However,the sand from the tomb here in Chennai is considered to be a relic of the Apostle, and some Christians believe that it has miraculous healing powers. They procure small quantities of sand and either carry it with them or keep it in their homes.
St. Thomas Postage Stamps
In 1972, to commemorate the nineteenth centenary of the martyrdom, the Government of IndiaGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
Department of Post and Telegraphs released a postage stamp depicting the picture of the bleeding cross of St. Thomas Mount. Earlier, in 1964, the Post and Telegraph department of India had released a stamp depicting the Ortona
Ortona
Ortona is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.Ortona was the site of fierce fighting between German and Canadian forces during the Italian campaign in World War II...
silver bust of St. Thomas located in Italy.
Baptismal Font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
(pictured) which existed at the Church on the St. Thomas Mount in 1680 has a rich history. This Font was shifted to the St. Mary's Church
St. Mary's Church (Fort St. George)
St. Mary's Church located at Fort St George, is the oldest Anglican church East of Suez and also the oldest British building in India. The church is popularly known as the 'Westminster Abbey of the East'.- History :...
at Fort St. George in 1685. A plaque behind the Font explains history of the Font and the famous people who were Baptised here.
Charnockite
Charnockite
Charnockite is applied to any orthopyroxene-bearing granite, composed mainly of quartz, perthite or antiperthite and orthopyroxene , as an end-member of the charnockite series.-Charnockite series:...
rocks are found on the St Thomas Mount and a Geological Monument named as Charnockite, St. Thomas Mount
Charnockite, St. Thomas Mount
Charnockite, St. Thomas Mount, located to the south of the Chennai city, in Pallavaram suburb, Tamil Nadu, is a characteristically profuse exposure of quartz–feldspar–hypersthene rock, illustrated by occurrence of two pyroxene facies metamorphism.The name "Charnockite, St...
has been installed by the Geological Survey of India at the entrance to the Mount.