St. Sebastian's Church, Negombo

St. Sebastian’s Church, Negombo
Basic information
Location Negombo, Sri Lanka
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Status Active
Architectural description
Architect(s) Fr. G. Gannon
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Gothic architecture
Groundbreaking 2 February 1936
Completed 1946

The St. Sebastian’s Church, Negombo also known as St. Sebastian’s Church, Wella Veediya is a Roman Catholic church in Negombo, in Sri Lanka.[1] It is patterned on the Reims Cathedral in France, and is built in Gothic style.[2] Saint Sebastian is the patron saint of the city of Negombo.

Location

The church is located on the San Sebastian street in Negombo.[3]

History

The church was designed by Father G. Gannon, parish priest of Sea Street. Although the foundation stone was laid by the Archbishop of Colombo, Pierre-Guillaume Marque, on 2 February 1936, construction was not completed until ten years later. It replaced a smaller church to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners in the catholic majority city.[3] It is said to be modeled in Gothic style on the lines of the Reems Cathedral in France. A shadow of this church is seen in the Negombo Lagoon.[2]

This church is one of the many churches in Sri Lanka dedicated to St Sebastian who is considered a martyr in the Catholic Church history. His veneration is particularly celebrated seeking relief from epidemics. A festival called the "Feast of St Sebastian" is held every year here during the month of January.[4] A tali drama narrating the Life of Sebastian used to be enacted here before 1950. Now, "Raja Tunkattuwa", a Sinhalese language drama about the Three Kings is held here during Christmas.[2]

Festival

At the St. Sebastian Church an annual festival dedicated to St. Sebastian is held on 20 January. On this occasion a decorated flagstaff is affixed at the church premises. Processions are also organized and food is served free to poor people.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Anandappa 1990, p. 169.
  2. 1 2 3 Fernando, W. T. A. Leslie. "Religious fervour and communal harmony in Negombo". The Daily News. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 "San Sebastian church". minube.net/. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Saint Sebastian venerated for intervention in epidemics". Asian Tribune. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Frey & Lemmer 2001, p. 63.

Bibliography

  • Anandappa, J. B. Clinton (1990). The Catholic directory of Sri Lanka, 1989/90. J.B.C. Anandappa.
  • Frey, Elke; Lemmer, Gerhard; Jayanthi Namasivayam (2001). Sri Lanka. Nelles. ISBN 978-3-88618-229-9.

Coordinates: 7°13′08″N 79°50′20″E / 7.219°N 79.839°E / 7.219; 79.839

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