There are three places in chennai that stand out as monuments of honour, speaking aloud about the presence, activity and the martyrdom of St. Thomas, the Apostle of india. They are 1. Little Mount, 2. St Thomas Mount, 3. San Thome Cathedral Basilica.
Santhome (Tamil: சாந்தோம்) is a locality in Chennai in India. The word Santhome or San Thome is derived from Saint Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The local Christian mythology is that apostle St. Thomas came to India in A.D.52 and was martyred in A.D.72 at St.Thomas Mount, a different part of the City, and was buried in Mylapore. A church was built over the tomb of the Saint and the area near the church is known as Santhome Church. Santhome is a part of Mylapore in Chennai city (old Madras) in India.
Santhome Cathedral Basilica is one among the three churches claimed to have been built over the tomb of an apostle. The other two are St. Peter's Basilica at Rome, Italy and the Saint James the Great at Santiago, Spain Santiago de Compostela.Commonly known as Santhome Church, the International Shrine of St. Thomas Basilica has an underground tomb chapel where the pilgrims can pray in front of the alleged sepulchre of St. Thomas.Marco Polo the great Venetian traveller visited the tomb in 1292 and recorded about the tomb in his travel diaries. Superstitious people believed that the sand taken from the tomb of St. Thomas has miraculous healing powers.Santhome Cathedral Basilica is an important monument located towards the south of the Marina Drive. The place, where Santhome Cathedral Basilica stands today, used to be known as Betuma in the past. St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, is said to have arrived in the region somewhat in the middle of first century A.D. He initially preached at a place called Little Mount (Chinnamalai in Tamil Nadu) and was put to death at St. Thomas Mount in the year 72 A.D. Soon after his death a church was built over his burial place and it is this church that after series of renovations stand as Santhome Basilica Cathedral. 
Santhome at the southern end of the Marina gets its name from St.Thomas, the apostle of Jesus who is believed to have come to India sometime during 52 A.D. It is believed he was killed on St. Thomas Mount just outside the city in 78 AD and his remains interred in Santhome beach where a church was later built.
Several years later, another church was built further inland and his mortal remains were transferred here. Chennai’s newest pride is the Tidel Park, the home for the Information Technology Industry. It is spread over 1.28 million sq.ft. of built up area. The Tidel Park is an architectural marvel and houses several large national and international software companies in its premises.
Features
The cathedral at Santhome was built by the Portuguese between 14th and 15th century A.D. The cathedral has been built in a typical neo Gothic style. The shrines included in the cathedral is a small hand bone and the lance that was used to end the life of the apostle in this world. The 50 metres high building has been constantly renovated, following the ravages made by the time. An important fact regarding the cathedral is that, it is the second only church in the world that has been erected over the burial place of an apostle.
The cathedral holds a 3 feet high statue of Virgin Mary, believed to be imported from Portugal in the year 1543 A.D. The reaching spire goes as high as 50 metres and the width of the nave is about 10 metres. The cathedral is provided with stained glass and 14 wood plaques that depict St. Thomas' encountered with the resurrected Christ. The cathedral, which was blessed in 1896 A.D. and raised to the dignity of a basilica by Pope Pius XII, in the year 1956 gathers pilgrims from far off places. The renovation works from last decade has restored the damages caused to the monument. The cathedral walls might have been weakened but the the glory is still there."The Christians who go thither in pilgrimage take of the earth from the place where the saint was killed (or buried), and give a portion thereof to anyone who is sick of a quartan or a tertian fever ; and by the power of God and of St. Thomas the sick man is incontinently cured."Travels of Marco Polo Vol.II by Yule Edited by Cordier.
Faithful had been to wait long years to get a little sand known as St. Thomas sand from the tomb,as the tomb had had been opening very infrequently and with long intervals of few hundred years
Underground Tomb Chapel of St.Thomas
The Underground Tomb Chapel of St.Thomas at Santhome Cathedral Basilica has been built to enable pilgrims coming from different parts of the country and all over the world to participate in group Eucharistic celebrations, pray and venerate the relic of St.Thomas, while the services are being held at the Basilica.
Facts
Santhome Cathedral Basilica is the only one in India and one of the three in the world, built over the tomb of an apostle of Christ. The Underground Tomb Chapel also houses the Relic of St.Thomas.
Conference of Catholic Bishops' of India (CCBI) elevated Santhome Cathedral Basilica to the status of a National Shrine on 11th February 2006.
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