The Catholic Church in India is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope. There are over 23 million Catholics in India, representing around 1.57% of the total population,
Mylapore's Santhome Basilica at Madras (Chennai), built in 1523 by the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay, over the tomb of Thomas the Apostle. Renovated in 1896 by British Indian architects. It is an important shrine of the apostolic age in the world.
Marth Mariam Syro-Malabar Catholic Church at Arakuzha, Kerala, is an ancient Nasrani church established in 999.
A facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of Vailankanni, in Tamil Nadu (the Coromandel region).
Thomas the Apostle also known as Didymus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurre
Catholic Church in India
…with Eastern Catholic communities primarily based in the Malabar region (present-day state of Kerala). Christianity reached India in AD 52 when Thomas the Apostle reached Muziris in Malabar Coast presently called the state of Kerala. He preached Christianity in Eastern and Western coasts of India. These Saint…
Thomas the Apostle, detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna, 6th century
The Apostle Thomas, Rubens, c. 1613
The Postal Department of India issued a stamp commemorating his mission to the country.
The reliquary of the spear which killed St. Thomas, in Chennai, India