Christian sites in Sri Lanka - churches, monasteries, shrines
Randenigala Reservoir with Knuckles Range in the background
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More than 6% of the Sri Lanka's population are Christian. 80% of them are Roman Catholic. Evangelical so-called Bible churches represent arounf 10% of the Chirstians, but they are on the rise. The percentage of Christians among Tamils is higher than among Sinhalese. Most Christians live along the west coast between Colombo and Mannar. Mannar is Sri Lanka's only district in which Christians are the largest religious group, in Puttalam District further south, the percentage of Christian population is only slightly lower than that of Buddhists. In Gampaha District to the north of Colombo, Buddhists have a significantly higher percentage. Nonetheless is the coast of Gampaha District, particularly Negombo, the main Christian area of the island, because its much more densely populated than Mannar. Negombo boasts of almost four dozens of churches and is therefore sometimes called the "Little Rome" of Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, Negombo is not a bishop's see of the Roman Catholic Church. Rather, Negombo belongs to the catholic archdiosese of Colombo. Almost 700,000 Roman Catholics live in Sri Lanka's only archdiocese, this is around half of all Roman Catholics in the country. The ecclesiastical province of Colombo, which encompasses the entire island, has altogether 12 bishop sees. The most noteworthy cathedral buildings are St. Lucia in Colombo, St. Mary's in Jaffna, and St. Anthony's in Kandy.
The first recorded Christians in Sri Lanka were Nestorians. A Nestorian Church from around the 6th century was excavated in Anuradapura. After arrival of the Portuguese in the early 16th century, forced conversations occured, but the main reason why Christianity was growing in the coastal regions under Portuguese rule are others. Firstly, the new religion was casteless and fishermen, who constituted a large part of the coastal population, were discriminated as low-caste in the island's two caste hierarchies of Sinhalese and Tamils. Secondly, conversion to Christianity was a way to receive priviledges from the colonial rulers. The Dutch tried to suppress Roman Catholicism by prohibiting priests from performing mass on the island and by persecuting offenders, but they avoided a full-scale religious war, as such conflicts would have been an economical burden. For the same reason of cost- and conflict-reduction, they were less engaged in missionary activities than the Portuguese had been. In the succeeding period, the British preferred not only Anglicans but also Roman Catholics when recruiting public servants. In the mid 19th century they hoped and were confident to achieve a slow but steady Christinization of the entire country. However, this triggered a response from the Budhhist clergy and lay people alike. The Buddhist Modernism or reform movement has its roots in this anti-colonial movement particularly in Sri Lanka.
Ironically, Sri Lanka's Roman Catholic Churches are of low architectural significance from an art-historical perspective, whereas some Dutch and Anglican Churches are more interesting and charming. The reason is that Roman Catholic church buildings have been often enlarged or even completely renewed in the course of the centuries. Toda, almost all of them are styled in the same fashion, imitating European styles in a not very convincing way. In contrast, a few Dutch reformed churches have survived. Original church buildings from the Dutch colonial period are Wolvendaal Church in Colombo, which regrettably has not been well maintained in recent years and is rarely opened to the public, and Groote Kerk in the fortified Old Town of Galle, and the small Dutch Reformed Church (also known as St. Peter's Kerk) of Kalpitiya. A pretty Anglican church building in its original appearance is Saint Stephen at the fishing harbour of Negombo. The most conspicuous Anglican Church of Sri Lanka, however, is the red brickstone builing of St. Andrews in Kandy, built in the vicinity of the Tooth Temple. Sri Lanka's most noteworthy church in a modern design is Holy Cross Church in Kalutara.
Sri Lanka has a few Roman Catholic monasteries. Two are worth mentioning for being established in colonial buildings and in a nice scenic environment, namely Monte Fano in the hilly suburbs of Kandy and Adisham Mansion in the hills near Haputale.
The by far most important Christian pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka is Madhu Church, halfway between Vavuniya and Mannar in the Northern Province. Today's large building of the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is from the 20th century. But the place has a much longer and interesting history. After a Dutch persecution on the coast of Mannar in 1670, several Roman Catholics fled to this lonesome place of Madhu in the Vanni region, where they met an even larger group of Roman Catholics arriving from Jaffna and decided to make it the new home of the Mary statue they carried with them. Both communities had already suffered from persecution by the Hindu King Sankili of Jaffna one century earlier on. Colombo's major catholic pilgrimage site is St. Anthony's shrine, it's held in high esteem because of its relic, a part of the tongue of St. Anthony from Padua. Regrettably, this shrine was one of the places that suffered most from the Easter Sunday terror attacks 2019. Let's mention one more St. Anthony's Church, it's of most inconspicuous architecture and rarely visited, but this small St. Anthony Church, more a corrugated sheet chapel than a church building, is quaintly situated at the sandy tip of a long and thin palm-covered spit of Mannar Island.
The first recorded Christians in Sri Lanka were Nestorians. A Nestorian Church from around the 6th century was excavated in Anuradapura. After arrival of the Portuguese in the early 16th century, forced conversations occured, but the main reason why Christianity was growing in the coastal regions under Portuguese rule are others. Firstly, the new religion was casteless and fishermen, who constituted a large part of the coastal population, were discriminated as low-caste in the island's two caste hierarchies of Sinhalese and Tamils. Secondly, conversion to Christianity was a way to receive priviledges from the colonial rulers. The Dutch tried to suppress Roman Catholicism by prohibiting priests from performing mass on the island and by persecuting offenders, but they avoided a full-scale religious war, as such conflicts would have been an economical burden. For the same reason of cost- and conflict-reduction, they were less engaged in missionary activities than the Portuguese had been. In the succeeding period, the British preferred not only Anglicans but also Roman Catholics when recruiting public servants. In the mid 19th century they hoped and were confident to achieve a slow but steady Christinization of the entire country. However, this triggered a response from the Budhhist clergy and lay people alike. The Buddhist Modernism or reform movement has its roots in this anti-colonial movement particularly in Sri Lanka.
Ironically, Sri Lanka's Roman Catholic Churches are of low architectural significance from an art-historical perspective, whereas some Dutch and Anglican Churches are more interesting and charming. The reason is that Roman Catholic church buildings have been often enlarged or even completely renewed in the course of the centuries. Toda, almost all of them are styled in the same fashion, imitating European styles in a not very convincing way. In contrast, a few Dutch reformed churches have survived. Original church buildings from the Dutch colonial period are Wolvendaal Church in Colombo, which regrettably has not been well maintained in recent years and is rarely opened to the public, and Groote Kerk in the fortified Old Town of Galle, and the small Dutch Reformed Church (also known as St. Peter's Kerk) of Kalpitiya. A pretty Anglican church building in its original appearance is Saint Stephen at the fishing harbour of Negombo. The most conspicuous Anglican Church of Sri Lanka, however, is the red brickstone builing of St. Andrews in Kandy, built in the vicinity of the Tooth Temple. Sri Lanka's most noteworthy church in a modern design is Holy Cross Church in Kalutara.
Sri Lanka has a few Roman Catholic monasteries. Two are worth mentioning for being established in colonial buildings and in a nice scenic environment, namely Monte Fano in the hilly suburbs of Kandy and Adisham Mansion in the hills near Haputale.
The by far most important Christian pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka is Madhu Church, halfway between Vavuniya and Mannar in the Northern Province. Today's large building of the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is from the 20th century. But the place has a much longer and interesting history. After a Dutch persecution on the coast of Mannar in 1670, several Roman Catholics fled to this lonesome place of Madhu in the Vanni region, where they met an even larger group of Roman Catholics arriving from Jaffna and decided to make it the new home of the Mary statue they carried with them. Both communities had already suffered from persecution by the Hindu King Sankili of Jaffna one century earlier on. Colombo's major catholic pilgrimage site is St. Anthony's shrine, it's held in high esteem because of its relic, a part of the tongue of St. Anthony from Padua. Regrettably, this shrine was one of the places that suffered most from the Easter Sunday terror attacks 2019. Let's mention one more St. Anthony's Church, it's of most inconspicuous architecture and rarely visited, but this small St. Anthony Church, more a corrugated sheet chapel than a church building, is quaintly situated at the sandy tip of a long and thin palm-covered spit of Mannar Island.
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