About Us

OUR HISTORY

St.Thomas the Apostle, also called ‘Didimus’, meaning ‘twin’, was one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. He is best known for questioning Jesus' Resurrection after death when first told of it, which was followed by his confession of faith, “My Lord and My God”. St. Thomas the Apostle arrived in Kerala, India, in AD 52. He arrived by sea at the port of Malankara, the present Kodungallur in Kerala. He preached the word of God and established Churches at seven places. St. Thomas, after his fruitful ministry on the Malabar Coast, crossed over to the eastern parts of South India, where he also had many converts, and then moved as far as Malacca and China. Later, returning to India, he came to Chennaipattinam or Madras. Being infuriated by his growing popularity, he was chased by the higher castes and took shelter in a cave near Little mount which is the present Guindy in Chennai and when he was about to be captured he escaped from that place through a hole on the roof of the said cave and took shelter in the shrine which he had built on the top of the St.Thomas Mount, Parinkimalai in Tamil. His pursuers caught up with him there and speared him to death while he was clinging to a cross inside the said shrine. Later, his followers took his slain body and buried him on the seashore at Santhome in Mylapore, Chennai.

At the St.Thomas day celebration at New Delhi organized by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian church on 18th December 1955, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President of India made the following observation in a speech “Remember St.Thomas came to India when many of the countries of Europe had not yet become Christians and so those Indians who traced their Christianity to him have a longer history and a higher ancestry than that of Christians of many of the European countries”. Christianity in India is as old as Christianity itself. Thus, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, founded by Apostle St.Thomas in AD 52, is one of the oldest Churches with a rich legacy and tradition. His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Malankara Metropolitan and Catholicose of the East, is the successor to the throne of St. Thomas and the head of the Malankara Orthodox Church.

St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral, Broadway, is the first parish of the outside Kerala diocese and is considered the mother of all parishes. To have a parish of their own on this sacred soil is a great achievement for Orthodox Christians. This parish was originally built by the British government as a garrison for British soldiers, and with the permission of the Anglican Bishop, the members began sharing this church, and the first Holy Eucharist was celebrated in 1960. The first congregation consisted of 16 members. In the year 2016, this Cathedral celebrated its centenary. From a 16-member congregation, this cathedral has grown tremendously into a big parish, including the Chapel at Mylapore and the Pilgrimage centre on St. Thomas Mount. Currently, there are more than 11 independent parishes in Chennai, and almost all can trace their origins to St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral. It was a deep desire among the members of St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral to establish an educational institution to enlighten society, and St. Thomas Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Broadway was established in 1958 under the St. Thomas Syrian Cathedral Education and Charitable Trust. After serving society through this school, it was decided to start a college for Arts & Science.

The St. Thomas College of Arts and Science was established in 1999 as a co-educational institution governed by the St. Thomas Orthodox Syrian Cathedral Parish Trust of St. Thomas Orthodox Cathedral, Broadway. The Patron of our college is His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, Catholicose of the East and Malankara Metropolitan. The founder Chairman was His Grace Dr. Yakoob Mar Irenios and the present Chairman is His Grace Gee Varghese Mar Philoxenos, Metropolitan of the Diocese of Madras of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

The college is governed by its board of trustees and administered by its executive, headed by His Grace Gee Varghese Mar Philoxenos, Chairman; Rev. Fr. Stalin T.F., Vice Chairman; Mr. Biju Chacko, Secretary; and Mr. Alex Abraham, Treasurer.

Dr. Rev. Francis Soundararaj (1999–2002), the first Principal of the institution, laid a strong and successful foundation through his visionary and able leadership. Under his guidance, the college began its academic journey with five undergraduate programmes—B.Com., BCA, B.Sc. Computer Science, B.Sc. Visual Communication, and BBA—affiliated with the University of Madras.

Dr. (Mrs.) S. Teresa Jane assumed office as the second Principal in 2002 and served the institution from 2002 to 2003. She was succeeded by Dr. (Mrs.) Hemalatha Sundara Kumar, the third Principal, took charge in 2003. During her tenure, the college attained the status of a Postgraduate institution with the introduction of M.Com., M.Sc. (Computer Science) and M.Sc. (Visual Communication). Several new undergraduate programmes, including B.Sc. Mathematics, B.Sc. Electronic Media, and B.Sc. Psychology was also introduced during her leadership.

Prof. Mr. Avaram Abdul Hakeem served as the fourth Principal from 2005 to 2006. During this period, additional sections were introduced for the B.Com. BCA and BBA programmes to meet the increasing demand for these courses.

The fifth Principal, Dr. S. Mathuram Selvaraja, assumed charge in 2006 and guided the institution until 2009. His tenure saw the establishment of several student and staff initiatives, including the Organisation for Social Justice, the Green Club, the Women Upliftment Club, the Consumer Club, and the Staff Club.

Dr. C. Selvaraj served as the sixth Principal from 2010 to 2013. He was followed by Dr. J. Joel, who served as the seventh Principal from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Samuel Sukumar, M.Sc., Ph.D., held office as the eighth Principal from 2015 to 2018.

Dr. N. Thangavel (M.Com., MBA, PGDMM, PGDHRD, Ph.D., D.Lit.) served as the ninth Principal from 2018 to 2023.

Dr. T. S. Prema assumed charge as the tenth Principal on 21 July 2023 and served the institution until 31 January 2026. During her tenure, the institution achieved the prestigious NAAC A+ accreditation in its first cycle, and several academic developments and institutional advancements were realised.

Dr. K. Florence assumed office as the eleventh Principal on 5 March 2026, continuing the institution’s legacy of growth and academic excellence.