List of churches in Chennai

Chennai (erstwhile Madras) is the capital of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on Coramandel coast off Bay of Bengal.

Portuguese arrived in 1522 and built a port called "San thome" (present Santhome in Chennai) and "Santhome Church" after the Christian apostle, St. Thomas, who is believed to have preached in the area between 52 and 70 CE.

A year later, the English built Fort St. George, the first major English settlement in India,[2] Chennai has seen missionaries from Scotland, United Kingdom and France and Portugal and also missionaries of Franciscans, Jesuits and Dominicans.

Pope Pius XII honoured this cathedral church, elevating it to the dignity and rank of minor basilica in March 1956.

This church was extended as National Shrine in 2004 by Catholic Bishops' Conference of India.

Santhome Church built by the Portuguese in 1523 and rebuilt by the British in 1893 over the tomb of Saint Thomas the Apostle.
Famous Churches in Chennai