Metropolitan Archdiocese of Madras-Mylapore

The Archdiocese of Madras–Mylapore was formed on 13 November 1952 through the Papal Bull Ex Primaevae Ecclesiae, merging the historic Archdiocese of Madras with the old Diocese of Mylapore. The Diocese of Mylapore, founded in 1606 under the Padroado system of the Portuguese crown, came under Propaganda Fide in 1950, while the Vicariate Apostolic of Madras—created in 1832 and raised to an Archdiocese in 1886—had grown steadily under various missionary congregations. With the 1952 reorganization, the new Archdiocese took shape from territories of both jurisdictions, established Santhome Cathedral as its Cathedral, St. Mary’s as Co-Cathedral, and created the dioceses of Vellore and Thanjavur. Subsequent reorganizations refined its suffragans and boundaries, including later annexations of several parishes. Over the decades, its Archbishops—from Louis Mathias SDB to George Antonysamy—have guided its pastoral, missionary, educational, and social initiatives, continuing a legacy rooted in the apostolic presence of St. Thomas, whose martyrdom and tomb at Mylapore remain the spiritual heart of this historic Archdiocese.