St. Mary's Church Kalamulla
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| St. Mary's Church Kalamulla, Kalutara, Sri Lanka | |
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| Alternative names | Mother of Little Goa Church |
| General information | |
| Location | Kalamulla |
| Town or city | Kalutara |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates | 6°33′10″N 79°58′08″E / 6.552851362437006°N 79.96884420990203°E |
| Completed | 1898 |
| Renovated | 2024 |
| Owner | Catholic Church in Sri Lanka |
Kalamulla St. Mary's Church, or Mother of Little Goa, is an old church found in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. Former First church Established during the time of the Portuguese, the current church holds significance for the local Catholics.
History
[edit]The area around Kalamulla was formerly referred to as "Little Goa" due to the extensive and significant Christian population Kalutara area & which boasts five churches located within a 1-kilometre radius, each with unique histories and significant artefacts.
St. Joseph Vaz, the apostle of Sri Lanka, visited and stayed in Kalamulla in 1697 and used the area as his main headquarters for missionary work in Kalutara.
Key Features
[edit]The church is more popularly referred to as the "Stone Pillar Church" (ගල් කණුවේ පල්ලිය) because of its tall six-foot wooden Jesus Christ statue on a stone pillar. The other notable artefacts are:
01. This church is one of the few churches in Sri Lanka that features old stained glass depicting God, the Crucified Jesus, St. Mary, and St. Joseph, which is installed above the main altar.
02. This church also one of the few churches in Sri Lanka that boasts some of the largest statues representing the 14 Stations of the Cross.
03. Ancient St. Mary, St. Joachim, and St. Anne wooden statues located in main alter.
A depiction of the Crucified Jesus standing with St. Mary and Mary Magdalene
04. A statue of the Resurrected Jesus Christ
Historical accounts suggest that this church once housed to wooden statues representing the 12 Disciples of Jesus.
Historical Events
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In 1910, the church was chosen for the extravagant wedding mass of Mudaliyar Don Arthur de Silva Wijesinghe Siriwardana, a prominent local landowner and patron, who owned Richmond Castle, Kalutara.
St. Mary's Church Kalamulla celebrated its 125th annual feast in 2024, commemorating its history and prominence in the region.
References
[edit]- ^ Reference 1 Youtube Vlog of Churches of Kalamulla "https://youtube.com/dqcYSFJRgz4?si=Yuco8FXXwH8xhM8y"
- ^ Reference 2 Kuruwita, Rathindra (11 May 2008). "The tragedy of Richmond Castle" (PDF). The Nation. Retrieved 9 January 2018.http://www.nation.lk/2008/05/11/eye12pic1.pdf