We drove up to St. Thomas Mount, in order to visit a Church which is known for bearing its name, though inside the small church the letters above the altar read in Portuguese - Senhora da Expectação (Our Lady of Expectation). It was built by the Portuguese in 1523 where St. Thomas is said to have died in 72 AD, thus the historical significance it still holds. Believers thronging to this little sacred church are strongly convinced miracles do occur for those who genuinely offer their prayers.
We had to walk up a lot of steps to reach the churchyard where the rather small church was located. At its entrance a young girl dressed up in typical India clothes looked us in the eye in an almost irresistable way.
Inside and outside the church every little detail led me to feel it was more of a pilgrimage sort of place, which I found to be exactly what it is. Interestingly enough, in the past (16th and 17th centuries) it is said to have served as the lighthouse for Portuguese and Armenian ships and vessels in the Bay of Bengal.
We had to walk up a lot of steps to reach the churchyard where the rather small church was located. At its entrance a young girl dressed up in typical India clothes looked us in the eye in an almost irresistable way.
Inside and outside the church every little detail led me to feel it was more of a pilgrimage sort of place, which I found to be exactly what it is. Interestingly enough, in the past (16th and 17th centuries) it is said to have served as the lighthouse for Portuguese and Armenian ships and vessels in the Bay of Bengal.
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