St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas Mount A top the 76 metre high hill is believed to be the place where St. Thomas was martyred. An old church, built by the Portuguese around 1514 is located here. Among the interesting relics in the church is an old stone cross that the apostle is said to have clutched in his hand while dying. The blood-like stains on the cross have given it the name Bleeding Cross and the mystic stains on it have to this day been found to be too deep to be removed. On the wall above the altar is an oil painting of the Madonna that was brought to India by St. Thomas and is believed to be one of the seven that were painted by St.Luke. Ripon Building This huge Indo-Saracenic building is named after Lord Ripon, who was the Governor General and the father of Self-Government in India. This building is the seat of the Chennai Corporation, the oldest city Corporation in India. The Govt. Museum , National Art Gallery & Connemara LibraryThe Pantheon complex was built before 1789 and was a place of assemblage for the British. The Government bought it in 1830 and later several new buildings were added to it. Today this complex houses the Government Museum, the National Art Gallery and the Connemara Public Library. The Government Museum was established in the year 1857 and has the country’s best collection of South Indian bronzes, both ancient and modern. Among which beautiful bronze icons of Nataraja, Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. The museum also has geology and anthropology sections. The Amaravathi Gallery contains the rare second century marble sculptures, depicting important events in the life of Gautama Buddha. The sculptures were unearthed from the Buddhist ruins at Amaravathi and are housed here. The bronzes from the 10th and 13th centuries and handicrafts from the 11th and 12th centuries also are seen here. The National Art Gallery exhibits several beautiful paintings that include 16th and 18th century ones from Rajasthan, the Mughal period and 17thcentury Deccani art.

Entry fee	Timings	Holiday	Phone
Adult Rs.15.00 Child Rs.10.00	9.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.	Friday.	28193238.

Connemara Library Ph: 28193751.