Ease traffic congestion around historic Santhome Basilica

Archaeological digs in the area have revealed that the place was a thriving township as early as the first century B.C. In the first century A.D., Apostle St. Thomas visited this place and built a small church that has later evolved as the Santhome Basilica. Significantly, both the area and this church are named after the Apostle.

In the early sixteenth century, the Portuguese occupied Santhome and fortified it. They rebuilt the Santhome Basilica and constructed new churches, including the Church of the Holy Rosary. They also built several Portuguese-style houses, some of which survive to this day. In 1662, the Sultan of Golconda captured Santhome. In 1672, the French occupied the place. Shortly later, the Portuguese reoccupied the place. In 1746, when the War of the Austrian Succession was at its height in Europe, the French captured Madras from the British. 

The same year, the French forces under Dupleix defeated the Nawab of Carnatic, a friend of the English, in a pitched battle fought at Santhome. The place came under the control of the British in 1749. In 1751, they built a small fort called the Santhome Redoubt near Leith Castle Street. Santhome’s most prominent building is the Santhome Basilica. It is one of the oldest, biggest and most historic churches in the whole of South India. Built as a small chapel, it was repeatedly expanded and renovated by the Nestorian Christians of Persia and much later, by the Portuguese. The present Neo-Gothic style structure, with its two majestic spires, was built around 1896. It was renovated in 1952 and again, around 2005.  

Soon after St. Thomas died in Madras in 72 A.D., he was buried in this Church. Later, his mortal remains were taken to Europe, with a sole bone relic left behind, at this church, for worship by the local devotees. In

terestingly, this is one of the three churches built over the tomb of an Apostle of Jesus Christ, the other two being the Basilica of Saint Peter built over the tomb of St. Peter in Rome and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela built over the tomb of St. James in Spain.  

The church is very popular among the local Christians and is well-maintained by the owners. The recent renovations aim to benefit the large number of tourists and pilgrims visiting the site. The area around the Apostle’s small underground tomb has been refurbished and provided with a separate entrance, outside the church, so that people visiting this Tomb Chapel, would not disturb the programs in the church. The bone relic of the Apostle is preserved in an ornamental casket close to the tomb. 

Near this new entrance, a small museum has been established. The area’s arterial road—the Santhome High Road—serves as a vital link between the ever-expanding residential areas of Adyar and further south and the educational institutions on the Marina and the offices in Fort St. George and George Town. Traffic congestion has become almost a daily feature on this road. This is a matter of grave concern as the road is dotted with schools and places of worship.  At least a part of the traffic from Adyar could be diverted through the broader roads of Raja Annamalaipuram-Alwarpet to ease the congestion in Santhome. 

The author is a well-known archaeologist and Tamil Nadu State Convener, INTACH.