St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas Mount Review

To get to this old church on a hill, drive to the cantonment and then climb the 135 granite steps, a route that takes in the Stations of the Cross along the way. A serene contrast to Chennai's traffic and crowded streets, the tiny church of Senhora da Expectação (Our Lady of Expectation), built in 1523, offers an aerial view nearly 90 meters (300 feet) above sea level. The interior, which is framed by a semicircular vaulted ceiling, includes two life-size dioramas, one of which memorializes the moment when Thomas the Apostle earned the epithet "Doubting Thomas." Legend has it that Thomas the Apostle ("Doubting Thomas") was martyred while praying here in ad 72. The stone cross set in the altar was excavated by the Portuguese, who built the church over it. The Mount gets very crowded on Sunday.