SanThom

Our next stop was St Thomas Basilica, or SanThom as everyone calls it. Legend has it this Roman Catholic church was built upon the burial spot of Saint Thomas, who was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Various tales surround his death near Chennai - whether he was an old man caring for a flock of early Christians who died a peaceful death, or a still enthusiastic evangelist who had drawn the ire of local holy men, who is to say.

We walked through the spitting rain to a building in the back of the main church, removed our shoes, and descended a staircase to an antechamber, where a stern nun cautioned us to keep silent (the threat of ear pulling unstated, but known nonetheless -- and really, what visit to a Catholic church is complete without a nun cautioning one to be quiet?).

Then we entered the burial chamber, a small chapel with a center row and pews on either side. At the top of the room was a clear box containing a reclining bearding mannequin suggesting St Thomas in death. The box was stood directly on dirt exposed through a rectangular hole cut in the stone floor, further urging the belief of the basilica being built directly on the site of the saint's final resting place. A section of human bone, framed in a shadowbox and purported to belong to the saint resting below, hung on a column to the right of the mannequin.

We sat in a pew for a few moments in silent reflection (neither Saj nor myself wanting to experience the Ear Treatment), and then headed out.

We walked through the main cathedral, which had been rebuilt in the 19th century in a British-preferred style, but was decorated in an unmistakably Indian fashion with flowers and bright colors. A female pastor was leading an evening service, reminding me of the evangelical services I've had the unexpected misfortune to attend, with folks in the congregation calling out to the pastor. We sat and observed. It was loud and earthy -- folks quickly going up the center aisle and to the right, to pray before a saint.

As we exited into the drizzle, Saj explained that this particular group of Catholic churches were somewhat more expressive than the RC church he had grown up in and still attends.