St. Lucia’s Cathedral - Kotahena

This is place you can feel the god. Most elegant church in sri lanka.

I have visited this place 2 times. You get immense Peace once you enter the Cathedral. Its a massive and beautiful structure. It give you a very positive vibes. I just love this cathedral. Very spacious and comfortable seating arrangement. Can be a bit hot as fans dont cover all sitting areas so watch out for fans before you pick your seat.

It's a beautiful church. I attended a wedding. It was done well. Being Hindu it was a whole new experience

The exterior of this Beautiful Cathedral is designed along the lines of St Peters Bascilica in Rome. The church is currently undergoing extensive restoration and repair. For those who are not familiar with St Lucy, she is the Patron Saint for those suffering from eye disorders. There is a small bookshop within the church premises that sells religious artefacts.

At a distance of 3 km from Colombo Fort Railway Station, St. Lucia's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Church located Kotahena locality of Colombo. The cathedral is considered the oldest and largest parish cathedral in Sri Lanka and among the top places to visit in Colombo. St. Lucia's Cathedral is dedicated to saint martyr St. Lucia who is considered to be the protector against all kinds of eye trouble. This is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo. The cathedral was first built as a small chapel of wood in 1760 when Ceylon was under Dutch occupation. This small structure was later replaced by a more massive shrine made of brick and mortar in the year 1782. St. Lucia's Cathedral became the first church of Sri Lanka after it was detached from the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Goa. A plan was made in 1872, to build a new cathedral which took roughly 30 years and was fully completed in the year 1902. St Lucia's Cathedral is a massive structure built in the beautiful Gothic style of architecture. The facade of the church rests on massive ionic columns and it's adorned with seven statues. Silhouetted against the sky is the cross on the concrete lantern crowning the dome, the pinnacle of the cathedral. The interior consists of large statues of saints, beautiful wooden carvings and intricate glass stained windows. Rising above the main altar is a statue of Saint Lucy holding up her eyes on the palm of her hand. In front of the sanctuary, towards the left, one can see a dark-skinned statue of the Madonna referred to as 'Our Lady of Kotahena'. The highlight of the building is the 4300-pound bell named Anthony Thomas. The bell has intricate engravings of elaborate floral wreaths and holy figures and symbols of Christianity, and it is the largest of the four bells shipped from Marseilles and christened at the cathedral in 1903. It also has a unique pipe organ donated to the cathedral in 1934. This massive structure can easily host around 5000 worshippers. Timings: 5.30 AM - 12 PM & 2 PM - 7 PM Mass Timings: 6 AM, 7 AM and 6 PM from Monday to Friday & 5.30 AM (English), 7 AM (English), 8 AM (Sinhala), 9.15 AM (Tamil), 6 PM (English) on Sunday Entry: Free

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This was the dream of Mgr, Hilarian Sillani OSB who started the demolition of the old church on 8th August 1873. The New church was solemnly blessed and opened to the public on 5th August 1881 by Mgr. Clement Pagnani OSB. The building was completed only in 1902. Fr. Tabarrabi who designed and supervised its construction, tried to reproduce the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome. Fr. Tabarrani, although already a member of a Religious order, considered himself a Sylvestrine Tertiary and wore the Sylvestrine habit and recited the Monastic office. He left the island in 1880 on account of his health and died a few months later in Rome. After his departure the construction work was carried on by Fr. B. Baldoni OSB.

Beautiful historical church. Unfortunately lots of renovation going on these days so best to avoid till the work is complete.