Dutch Reformed Church, Matara
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The Dutch Reformed Church is located within the
Matara fort The Matara Fort ( ''Mathara Balakotuwa''; ) was built in 1560 by the Portuguese and was substantially re-built by the Dutch in 1640, following the capture of Galle. The fort, which consists of a large stone rampart, occupies the promontory, which ...
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
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
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 or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
: ''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 politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Iman Willem Falck, 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 or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
and the interior are very simple and plain, in keeping with the church's
Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...
heritage. The building has round headed windows on each side, a pillared
verandah A veranda (also spelled verandah in Australian and New Zealand English) is a roofed, open-air hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front an ...
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.


Current use

The Matara Church, protected by the sturdy walls of the fort, was slightly damaged by the
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) 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 underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
caused by the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+07:00, UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicenter, epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The Submarine earthquake, undersea ...
. 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 traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...
(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. File:MataraKircheAußen.jpg, Dutch Reformed Church File:MataraKircheNordseite.jpg, Dutch Reformed Church, northern façade 2024 File:Dutch Reformed Church, Matara 0687.jpg, Interior of the church File:MataraDutchRefChurchInterior.jpg, Interior of the Church 2024 File:MataraHollGrabsteine.jpg, Dutch Tombstones


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