SL Negombo asv2020-01 img15 StMary Church

St. Mary's Church is a landmark edifice, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in the heart of

Negombo Negombo (, ), also known as Punchi Romaya (Little Rome), is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in the Western Province, Sri Lanka, Western Province, from Colombo via the E03 expressway ...

. It is one of the largest Catholic church in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Location

St. Mary's Church is located in the Grand Street in the centre of Negombo.

History

Negombo has been influenced greatly by the Christian faith since the Portuguese occupation, earning it the nickname "Little Rome" due to the numerous churches in the city. Construction of St. Mary's Church, the fifth on this site, began in 1874 and was completed in 1922. The first church was established in 1544, marking over 480 years of Christian presence in the area. The art and architecture of this church exemplify the cultural amalgamation of European practices with Sri Lankan art during the early 20th century..

Features

The church was built in

neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

style with columns and plain walls. Its ceilings are painted with

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

images of many saints. The walls at the upper level are fixed with sculptures of religious saints. The unique paintings on the life of Christ on the ceiling were done by the N.S. Godamanne, a local Buddhist painter. The beauty of the paintings on the nave is described as "thunderous". A

testator A testator () is a person who has written and executed a last will and testament that is in effect at the time of their death. It is any "person who makes a will."Gordon Brown, ''Administration of Wills, Trusts, and Estates'', 3d ed. (2003), p. ...

paid the cost of one of the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

s, which was imported from Europe.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:St. Mary's Church, Negombo Roman Catholic churches in Sri Lanka Tourist attractions in Western Province, Sri Lanka Churches in Negombo Roman Catholic churches completed in 1924 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings