![Exterior of Wolvendaal Church](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Exterior_of_Wolvendaal_Church.jpg)
Wolvendaal Church (''Wolvendaalse Kerk'') is located in
Pettah
Pettah may refer to:
* Pettah of Ahmednagar, a fortified town outside the Fort of Ahmednagar stormed by British soldiers in 1803 during Second Anglo-Maratha War
* Pettah, Colombo, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located east of the City centr ...
, a neighbourhood of
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 ...
. It is one of the most important Dutch Colonial era buildings in
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 ...
, and is one of the oldest
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
churches still in use in the country.
History
In 1736
Governor of Ceylon {{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019
The Governor of Ceylon can refer to historical vice-regal representatives of three colonialism, colonial powers:
Portuguese Ceylon
* List of Captains of Portuguese Ceylon (1518–1551)
* List of Captain-majors of ...
,
Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff
Gustaaf Willem, Baron van Imhoff (8 August 1705 – 1 November 1750) was a Dutch colonial administrator for the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He served as Governor of Ceylon from 1736 to 1740 and as Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies fr ...
, sought approval from the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(''Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie'' or VOC) to demolish the existing church (''Kasteel Kerk'') within the
Colombo Fort
Fort (Colombo) (; ) is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE operates. It is ...
and construct a new one on the same site. However, the VOC refused this request, and it wasn't until the arrival of Governor
Julius Valentyn Stein van Gollenesse in 1743 that the impasse was overcome. He decided that the new church would be erected in the area beyond the city walls, which at the time was swamp and marshland. The Europeans mistook the packs of roaming
jackals
Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...
for wolves, and the area became known as Wolvendaal (Wolf's Dale or Wolf's Valley).
The site that was selected was on a hill which commanded views across the town and over the harbour and was in proximity to the town's entrance. The site was also occupied by a small church, which had existed from the earliest period of Dutch occupation, when the Wolvendaal neighbourhood was a quiet suburban
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
.
The foundations of the church were laid in 1749 and it took eight years to build. It was completed on 6 March 1757, when it was dedicated for public worship by Rev. Matthias Wirmelskircher, Rector of the Colombo Seminary.
At the dedication there were two Governors present,
Joan Gideon Loten
Joan Gideon Loten (also spelt Johan or John, in school records as Johannes Gideon Looten) (16 May 1710 – 25 February 1789) was a Dutch servant in the colonies of the Dutch East India Company, the 29th Governor of Zeylan, Fellow of the Royal So ...
and his successor
Jan Schreuder
Jan Schreuder (12 February 1704 in Hamburg – 16 January 1764 in Batavia, Dutch East Indies) was the 30th Governor of Zeylan during the Dutch period in Ceylon
Dutch Ceylon ( Sinhala: Tamil: ) was a governorate established in present-da ...
, together with Members of the Council, Reverend Ministers (
Predikants), prominent
Burghers and their families.
Architecture
The church was constructed in the
Doric Doric may refer to:
* Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece
** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians
* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture
* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode
* Doric dialect (Scotland)
* Doric ...
style of the period, in the form of a Greek
cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
(i.e. legs of equal length), with walls nearly 1.5m (five feet) thick, constructed of unusually large kabok (clay
ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...
) with coral and lime plaster.
The high roof in the middle of the building resembles a dome and was originally arched with brick and roofed in blue Bangor
slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
roof tiles
Roof tiles are designed mainly to keep out rain, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as terracotta or slate. Modern materials such as concrete, metal and plastic are also used and some clay tiles have a waterproof ...
surmounted with a brazen lion. This lion had a crown on its head, bearing a sword in one hand and seven arrows in the other, representing the seven united provinces of the Dutch Republic. In 1856, a bolt of lightning destroyed the lion and seriously damaged the dome.
The roof was later replaced with an iron covering.
The church is capable of seating 1,000 persons.
![Pierre tombale Rev Henricus Philipsz et Susanna Scharff Colombo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Pierre_tombale_Rev_Henricus_Philipsz_et_Susanna_Scharff_Colombo.jpg)
Inside the church there is a solidly constructed State
Pew
A pew () is a long bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom.
Overview
The first backless stone benches began to appear in English churches in the thirt ...
(to accommodate the Dutch governor) with numerous
ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...
and
calamander church chairs (''kerkstoels''), dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The
baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism.
Aspersion and affusion fonts
The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...
, on an ornately carved tripod stand, dates back to 1667. The pulpit is typical for a Dutch Reformed Church, where the minister stands higher than the congregation on a richly ornamented wooden structure.
On the walls of the Church are many mural tablets while there are many more built into the external walls. The floor is paved with granite flagstones (purportedly brought from Holland) interdispersed with engraved tombstones, of those who lie buried within the church or whose remains were relocated from the Kasteel Kerk. Many famous names of 300 year Sri Lankan history, Dutch, Burgher, Singhalese, Tamil and English, can be found amongst the gravestones within and outside the church. There are five Dutch Governors buried at the church, including the last Governor,
Johan Gerard van Angelbeek, who died in Colombo in 1799, three years after the British occupation.
From the time of its dedication through to the end of Dutch rule Wolvendaal was the principal place of worship, although Kasteel Kerk remained the main religious seat for the European and local officials of the VOC, until it was demolished in 1813.
Current use
![Wolvendaal Church - 11](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Wolvendaal_Church_-_11.jpg)
The Dutch Reformed Church is currently known as the
Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka. The Church has several locations throughout the Colombo area. Wolvendaal Church is the only Dutch Church on the island that has been continually in use, with in 2018 services in Tamil, Sinhalese and English every Sunday.
A similar Dutch Reformed Church building is the
Groote Kerk in Galle.
In January 2005 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) established the Wolvendaal Foundation to preserve the church's architecture. Its ultimate aim is to further cordial relations between the various races and religions on the island.
Other Dutch Reformed Church buildings in Sri Lanka
*
Groote Kerk, Galle
*
Dutch Reformed Church, Kalpitiya
The Dutch Reformed Church (also known as St Peter's Kerk) is located between the Dutch fort and the village of Kalpitiya. The church was built by the Dutch in 1706 and is a smaller version of the church in the Matara fort. It is one of the olde ...
*
Dutch Reformed Church, Matara
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. It is one of the oldest Protes ...
*
Kruys Kerk, Jaffna
References
Further reading
*
*
{{Authority control
Churches in Colombo
Churches completed in 1757
Dutch Reformed churches in Sri Lanka
18th-century churches in Sri Lanka
18th-century Calvinist and Reformed churches