About Santhome Church Information-Mylapore

Santhome Church is also known as ‘Our Lady of Mylapore’. The locals of Mylapore know it as Mylai Matha.  The word Santhome or San Thome is derived from Saint Thomas, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This church is a Pilgrimage centre for Christians in India and it also has an attached Museum to it.

The Wooden Statue of Our Lady of Mylapore is coated in Gold and placed on a special altar. Among the three Basilica Churches, this church is one of the three Churches claimed to be built over the tomb of an Apostle. The other two Churches are St. Peter’s at Rome and St. James at Spain.

Below the Basilica in this Church, there is an underground tomb. On 5th February 1986, His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited.