St. Mark's Church, is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in

Badulla Badulla (, ; ,) is the capital and the largest city of Uva Province situated in the central hills of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Uva Province and the Badulla District. Geography Badulla is located in the southeast of Kandy, almost enci ...

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, ...

. 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 ...

– 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 (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

as an archaeological protected monument in Sri Lanka and declared as "protected monuments" by the acting Minister of National Heritage, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. 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 ( ; ) 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 administrative capital of Nuwara Eliya District, with a picturesque landsc ...

. On 24 February 1846

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

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 ( ''badūlla distrikkaya''; ''Patuḷai māvaṭṭam'') is a Districts of Sri Lanka, district in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The entire land area of the Badulla district is and has a total population of 871763 as of 2024. The d ...

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

elephants Elephants are the Largest and heaviest animals, largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian ele ...

. He died on 7 June 1845, struck by lightning at Sherwood estate in Haputale. 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 Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' Aramaic'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint 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 p ...

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 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 Anglican church buildings in Sri Lanka