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Why is Saint Thomas Day Celebrated? All You Need to Know – News18

July 3, 2023
Bharat Times

Published By: Nibandh Vinod

Last Updated: July 03, 2023, 06:00 IST

Thomas the apostle is acknowledged as the patron saint of India and the founder of the Indian church. (Image: Shutterstock)

Saint Thomas Day 2023: As per the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, Saint Thomas travelled to a kingdom in South India

SAINT THOMAS DAY 2023: One of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, Thomas, also known as Didymus and Judas Thomas, travelled beyond the gates of Rome to spread the gospel of Jesus. As per the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, Saint Thomas travelled to a kingdom in South India. He converted the people there to Christianity and moved onto the Coromandel coast, but was killed at Mylapore in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, July 3, 72 AD. This day is celebrated annually as Saint Thomas Day. Below, we share more interesting facts about Saint Thomas.

  1. Saint Thomas Day was originally celebrated on December 21, because it was traditionally believed to be the day he died.
  2. St. Thomas’s remains, however, were discovered in Chennai, the correct date of his death was found to be July 3, as par the Syrian churches of Kerala.
  3. His martyrdom is also celebrated on October 6 after the Second Sunday of Easter by the Eastern Orthodox Church.
  4. Thomas the apostle is acknowledged as the patron saint of India and the founder of the Indian church.
  5. He is believed to have landed on the shores of Kerala, at Kodungallur of Thrissur District there.
  6. The Syrian Christians of the Malabar Coast claim that Saint Thomas converted their forefathers to Christianity.
  7. The Portuguese built a stone fort in his memory, in 1523, near to the spot where he was believed to have landed on his evangelical mission to India. It is known as the Fortaleza da São Tomé, or Fortress of Saint Thomas and locally as Kottappuram Fort.
  8. The Dutch captured and destroyed Fortaleza da São Tomé in 1663, but the remains of the structure can still be seen today, at the mouth of the Periyar river, where it joins with the Arabian Sea.
  9. Thomas is also known as ‘Doubting Thomas’ because initially, he had refused to accept that Jesus had resurrected. He became a believer after seeing the wounds of crucifixion on Jesus’s body.
  10. Saint Thomas was fatally stabbed with a spear at the Parangimalai hillock in Chennai, which is known as St. Thomas Mount.