St James' Church is an historic Roman Catholic church in
Vidattaltivu village in
Mannar District
Mannar District ( ''Maṉṉār Māvaṭṭam''; ) is one of the 25 Districts of Sri Lanka, districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a Governm ...
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, ...
.
Sri Lanka Places website, profile page
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History
According to Rev. Fr. Antonainus's book of ''The Chronicle of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Madhu'', St James Church is over 400 years old. The Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
historian Friar Paulo da Trinidade (1571-1651) stated that Franciscan monks build St James Church before 1594.
Catholic Sri Lankans settled in Vidattaltivu from Jaffna
Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...
, Navaali, and Allaipitti, and the church was built to accommodate them.
From 1948 St James Church was run under Iranaitheevu parish. The priests traveled by boat from Iranaitheevu by boat to perform mass and other duties at St. James. Then the church was moved under the Adampan parish. Now it is Vidathaltheevu parish.
See also
* St. Sebastian's Cathedral, Mannar
References
* Trinidade,Conquesta Spiritual Do Oriente. (Translated by Rt.Rev. Edmund Peiris, OMI), 1972.
* The Chronicle of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Madhu (up to 1950) with the Life and Labours of the Missionaries Connected with it by. A.J.B.Antaninus
* Christianity in Sri Lanka under Portuguese By. Martin Quere. O.M.I
{{coord missing, Sri Lanka
Churches in Mannar District
Roman Catholic churches in the Diocese of Mannar