St. Mark's Church, 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

Badulla Badulla ( si, බදුල්ල, ta, பதுளை) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the lower central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District. Geography Badulla is ...

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 in the central ward of Badulla Municipal Council at the junction of

Mahiyangana Mahiyanganaya is a town situated close to the Mahaweli River in Badulla District, Uva Province of Sri Lanka. It is said that Gautama Buddha visited Mahiyanganaya on the Duruthu full moon poya day in order to settle a dispute arose between Yakkas a ...

– Badulla main road (B36). It was consecrated on 25 April 1857 by Bishop James Chapman. In April 2008 the church and the bell tower were 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 ...

as an archaeological protected monument in Sri Lanka and declared as "protected monuments" by the acting Minister of National Heritage,

Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena (born 10 October 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician and landed proprietor. He is the current Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament. Political career He first entered parliament in 1983 as the Hakmana United National Par ...

. The designation was formally included on 6 June 2008 in 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

Before 1857 church services were conducted in the local court house by the priest from

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrativ ...

. On 24 February 1846

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

James Chapman visited Badulla and held a service in the court house which was attended by district officials and coffee planters. The next day he organised a public meeting for neighbourhood Ceylonese and Europeans to make preliminary arrangements for the construction of a church. After initiating the work of church he visited Badulla again in 1850 and 1853. It is said that people of all religions and races in Badulla contributed to the construction of the church. The church was finally erected by public subscription in the memory of Major Thomas William Rogers, (the Government Agent for

Badulla District Badulla District ( si, බදුල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''badūlla distrikkaya''; ta, பதுளை மாவட்டம் ''Patuḷai māvaṭṭam'') is a district in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The entire land area o ...

) who is said to have shot, at the very lowest estimate 1,400 wild

elephants Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and ...

. He died on 7 June 1845, struck by lightning at Sherwood estate in

Haputale Haputale ( si, හපුතලේ; ta, ஹபுதலே) is a town of Badulla District in the Uva Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. The elevation is 1431 m (4695 ft) above the sea level. The area has a rich bio-diver ...

. He was buried in Nuwara Eliya, where his tomb was also struck by lightning numerous times. The church was consecrated on 25 April 1857 ( St. Mark's day) by Bishop Chapman. The first

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

at the church was Rev. E. Mooyart. The twelfth vicar, from 1900 to 1925, was Rev. William J. P. Waltham, who established the St. Mark's missionary school at Medagama, which later became Uva College. In 1921 he built the bell tower of the church, with the money donated by church warden.

References

External links

Pictures of St. Mark Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mark's Church, Badulla Anglican church buildings in Sri Lanka Churches in Badulla District Churches completed in 1857 Archaeological protected monuments in Badulla District British colonial architecture in Sri Lanka Buildings and structures in Badulla 19th-century churches in Sri Lanka 19th-century Anglican church buildings