San Thome Basilica historical timeline

San Thome's importance rests on a long Christian tradition identifying Mylapore as the place where St Thomas the Apostle was martyred and buried. The tradition is central to the site's religious meaning, while the surviving architecture belongs to much later Portuguese and British-period campaigns.

Chronology

1. Early Christian tradition The site becomes associated with the tomb of St Thomas, whose mission and martyrdom in India are preserved in Christian tradition.
2. Medieval period Pilgrims and travellers record a Christian shrine in the Mylapore area, sustaining the tomb tradition before European colonial rule.
3. 1523 Portuguese patrons build a church at the site.
4. 1606 The church is rebuilt and raised to cathedral status within the Portuguese ecclesiastical structure.
5. 19th century The older building is replaced during a major reconstruction under the Roman Catholic hierarchy.
6. 1896 The present Neo-Gothic cathedral is completed and consecrated.
7. 1956 Pope Pius XII grants the church the rank of minor basilica.
8. 1986 Pope John Paul II visits the basilica during his journey in India.
9. 2004 A major restoration renews the basilica and reorganises access to the tomb and museum areas.
10. Present day The church serves as cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore and remains a pilgrimage and parish centre.

Faith and historical language

The basilica's own identity is inseparable from belief that it stands over the apostle's tomb. Visitors can describe the site accurately by saying that it is venerated as the burial place of St Thomas, without turning a living tradition into a modern archaeological certainty.

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