St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas_Mount
—  neighbourhood  —
St. Thomas_Mount
Coordinates: 13°0′18.2″N 80°11′35.9″E
Country	India
State	Tamil Nadu
Metro	Chennai
Government
• Body	CMDA
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Planning agency	CMDA

St. Thomas Mount, (Tamil: பரங்கி மலை) Parangimalai is a small hillock located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located near the neighborhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport.

Syrian Christians of India trace the origin of their church to St. Thomas the Apostle, understood to have attained martyrdom here in Chennai. From the 17th Century, this part of Chennai was populated predominantly by Anglo-Indians. A serene and beautiful relic-filled church built in 1523 by the Portuguese stands on top of this 300-foot hillock. Pope John Paul II visited St. Thomas Mount on 5 February 1986.

The Indian Army operates an Officer Training Academy (OTA) at the bottom of the mount. The neighbourhood is served by the St. Thomas Mount railway station on the southern line of the Chennai Suburban Railway Network.

With the integration of the Metro and MRTS with the suburban station in the neighbourhood, the suburb is expected to transform into the city's largest transit hub after Chennai Central.

Hill Shrine

A shrine dedicated to "Our Lady of Expectation" (Mother Mary) was built in 1523 on top of the mount. It is believed that the altar of this shrine was built on the spot where St.Thomas' death may have occurred. At the northern foot of the mount, is a gateway of four impressive arches surmounted by a cross bearing the inscribed date 1547. A flight of 160 steps leads up to the summit of the mount. There are fourteen stations of the cross erected on the way to the summit.

A panoramic view of the city of Chennai as seen from the top of St. Thomas Mount.

External links

• St. Thomas Mount National Shrine