The Dutch Reformed Church is located within the Matara fort in Matara and is situated near the entrance to the fort. The church was built by the Dutch in 1706 and is a smaller version of the church in

Galle fort Galle Fort ( si, ගාලු කොටුව ''Galu Kotuwa''; ta, காலிக் கோட்டை, translit=Kālik Kōṭṭai), in the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then ex ...

. It is one of the oldest

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

churches still in use in the country.

History

The church was consecrated on 6 October 1706, according to an inscription over the doorway. During subsequent repairs and improvements this date has been obliterated and another date, that of 1767 was etched above the entrance. This date however refers to the reconstruction of the church by the Dutch following the Matara Rebellion. The (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: ''opperkoopman'') at that time was Daniel Burnat. The church may have existed prior to 1706. There is evidence of greater antiquity in the gravestones, which pave the floor of the church. The oldest of the gravestones is of Barbara Jongeling, the wife of Lambert Lambertijn, the medical officer of the station in 1686. Other gravestones include, Dessaves Frans Willem Falck, father 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 ...

Iman Willem Falck Iman Willem Falck (25 March 1736 – 6 February 1785) was a Dutch colonial governor who served as the 32nd Governor of Zeylan during the Dutch period in Ceylon. He was appointed on 7 August 1765 and was Governor until 5 February 1785. He was suc ...

, and Johannes Fernandinus Crijtsman, in 1737 and 1758, respectively. The Church was primarily for the Dutch but the first Sinhala sermon was held when a Church service was organised for the housemaids of the Dutch community who brought them to the Church and stayed on the verandah until the service was over.

Architecture

The church's

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

and the interior are very simple and plain, in keeping with the church's

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

heritage. The building has round headed windows on each side, a pillared

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

on the south side, with the entrance in the middle. It is an elegant but unpretentious building sufficient to hold 200 seats. The door and window panels are made of heavy wood while the walls now show signs of crumbling as the proper mixture to rebuild them could not be found within Sri Lanka. Dutch Reformed Church, Matara 0687

Current use

The Matara Church, protected by the sturdy walls of the fort, was slightly damaged by the

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The building did not suffer structural damage but the majority of the antique furniture was destroyed. The Evangelist of the Church, with the assistance of the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

(DRC), turned the building into a food distribution centre for the suffering population. Church services were subsequently resumed despite the damage. The church has been restored by the Wolvendaal Foundation in cooperation with the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. In January 2005 the Dutch Reformed Church established the Wolvendaal Foundation. Its ultimate aim is to further cordial relations between the various races and religions on the island. In October 2006 the Wolvendaal Foundation, with the financial assistance (Rs. 6.5M) from the Dutch Government appointed Poly-Chem Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Colombo to undertake the restoration of the church. The renovation works were completed within 2 years, the works included restoring the roof, repairing and painting the walls, equalising the floor and re-installing the historic Dutch tombstones into their original position. The antique pulpit and pews were also renovated. The Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka has subsequently made further improvements to the roof.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Churches in Matara, Sri Lanka Churches completed in 1706 Dutch Reformed churches in Sri Lanka Tourist attractions in Southern Province, Sri Lanka 1706 establishments in the Dutch Empire Archaeological protected monuments in Matara District 18th-century churches in Sri Lanka 18th-century Calvinist and Reformed churches