Christ Church, (also known as the Church of the Open Door) is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church in

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia ( si, දෙහිවල-ගල්කිස්ස, translit=Dehivala-Galkissa; ta, தெஹிவளை-கல்கிசை, translit=Tehivaḷai-Kalkicai), population 245,974 (2012) is the largest suburb of the City of ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The church is located on

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

main road ( A2) approximately away from the

Dehiwala Dehiwala is a suburban area in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It lies within the administrative boundaries of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. It is known for the zoo which houses thousands of animals and hundreds of species. 2019 Easter Sunday a ...

junction. It was consecrated on 16 February 1843. The four tombs within the church's graveyard have been formally recognised by the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

archaeological protected monuments in Sri Lanka The archaeological heritage of Sri Lanka can be divided into three ages; Prehistoric (Stone-age), Protohistoric (Iron age), and historical period. The presence of man activities in Sri Lanka probably dates from 75,000 years ago (late Pleistocene per ...

. The designation was declared on 6 June 2008 under the government

Gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

number 1553.

History

According to the account of the historian Valentyn, the first reference to a church in Galkissa is in 1705 where it mentions about a church, roofed with tiles and built upon 10 masonry and 20 stone pillars with a wall of clay 3½ft high. The stone pillars which had used for the church are said to be brought from a temple at Pepiliyana. In 1803, during the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rule it is said that there was a church in Galkissa without a roof but with supporting pillars. At that time the country residence of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Sir

Robert Brownrigg General Sir Robert Brownrigg, 1st Baronet, GCB (8 February 1758 – 27 April 1833) was an Irish-born British statesman and soldier. He brought the last part of Sri Lanka under British rule. Early career Brownrigg was commissioned as an en ...

was with the proximity of the Church at

Mount-Lavinia Mount Lavinia ( si, ගල්කිස්ස, ta, கல்கிசை) is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka located within the administrative boundaries of the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia municipal limits. The area is a mostly residential suburb, k ...

and he (the governor) evinced a personal interest to restore the church again in 1820. The consecration of the restored church was held on 16 February 1843 by the Bishop of Madras, George Spencer. The church which was mentioned during the British time period is believed to be the same church described by the historian Valentyn in 1705. Christ Church, Galkissa is known as the only open door church in Sri Lanka. Since 1952 the door of the church is open for whole of the day and night.

References

{{Asia-church-stub Anglican church buildings in Sri Lanka Churches in Colombo District Churches completed in 1843 Archaeological protected monuments in Colombo District British colonial architecture in Sri Lanka 19th-century churches in Sri Lanka

History

See also

References