San Thome Cathedral Basilica

The church derived its name from St Thomas, the apostle of Jesus Christ, whose tomb can be found inside the Cathedral. The sacred church sees its first existence in the 14-15th century, by the Portuguese explorers. It then became a cathedral in 1606. The Britishers then rebuilt the structure in the 19th century. Pope Pius XII honored this cathedral church as a minor basilica in March 1956. The present state of the church building witnessed its construction in December 2004. Santhome Basilica can be seen as an all-white facade and shows a neo-gothic style of architecture. The Church has big windows and with ample amount of natural sunlight. The windows are colorful and well decorated. The church includes a museum as well. One can see the great apostle’s fingerprint and wall paintings depicting the saint’s life and death. The lancehead that killed the Saint, an episcopal chair, a rare piece of his precious bone, and a stone receptacle are also preserved here. The Church stands very close to the ocean shore and So the quite basilica hears the noise of the waves. This makes the place more divine.