The tomb of St.Thomas.

The church that houses St.Thomas's tomb a large, white plastered , much pinnacled affair. A bit like St.Patrick's on steroids. Rebuilt in 1893 by a Portugese architect who seems to have based his design on a wedding cake.

A large, indecorous, sign points the way. " Entry to St.Thomas at back of church ". The tomb itself a disappointment. Down a flight of unlit steps into a gloomy crypt. We're guided by the lights in our i-Phones . A pair of ' In ' and ' Out ' doors. The setting unsympathetic. I don't know what we'd expected but it certainly wasn't this. The low ceilings, air conditioners and wooden slated walls more reminiscent of a Greyhound bus station circa 1970. Even ' the font ' is lost for something positive to say settling for a half hearted '' It must be practical in the heat " .

Next door a small museum holding the tip of the spear that killed the apostle , a sliver of his bone and more surprisingly   a life sized and rather tipsy looking  Father Christmas. A young priest tells us that the apostles body is no longer here having been stolen by pirates and shipped off to Italy in the 12th century. Only a few, much venerated, shards remain.

Outside, the church dog has sensibly opted for a long, deep, sleep in the only shaded spot in the car park. He has a look of peculiar contentment on his face as befits a dog who guards an apostle .