Indo-Portuguese Art from the Bhansali Collection Early Christianity in India According to tradition, Saint Thomas the Apostle traveled to the Indian subcontinent and spread the new faith there during the first century of the Common Era (Plate 1). Although no textual or archaeological evidence survives of the apostle’s journey, it is clear that Christianity has a long history in India, and that the group referred to first as Syrian Christians and later as Saint Thomas Christians arose from early evangelization efforts. Saint Thomas Christians believe that Thomas arrived in 52 CE in Cranganore (Kodungallur) in Kerala, and that he was martyred at Mylapore (modern day Chennai) in 72 CE. Today, there are still Saint Thomas Christian communities along the west coast of India (the Malabar Coast) that practice the older religion. Their churches tend to have no statues, in accordance with early Christian and Judaic traditions.
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The arrival of European missionaries in the sixteenth century and the establishment of Goa as the administrative and religious center for the Portuguese colonial empire brought a different kind of Christianity to India, one informed by the CounterReformation. Art, too, had a new role. Missionaries, some of them trained artists, others carrying with them prints and other works of ecclesiastical art, introduced local populations to the Baroque style, then prevalent in Europe. The painting, sculpture, architecture, and other arts created in this style were intended to dramatically and clearly communicate the teachings of the Church. These newly arrived Europeans sought to establish links to Christianity’s earlier history in India, and images of Saint Thomas the Apostle became quite popular (Plate 1).6
PLATE 1
Saint Thomas the Apostle 17th century Wood, paint, and gilt, h. 34 in.
