Churches in Sri Lanka

A Roman Catholic Church designed in the Gothic Revival fashion, St. Sebastian’s Church was commissioned after Reims Cathedral in France. It took ten years for this church in Sri Lanka to be built in 1946. It annually celberates a festival on 20th of January which results in a procession and free food for poor people.

A testimony of neoclassicism, St. Mary’s Cathedral is a symbol of Protugese Christian influense on the city of Negombo. The church is painted in alabaster fashion and the outer walls are done in a soft pink colour. This church in Sri Lanka is one of the largest cathedrals and was completed construction in 1924.

Holy Cross Church in Kalutara stands on an elevated area overlooking the ocean with some extraordinary coastal views. Owing to its excellent location and overall aestheticism that is evident in the intricate designs and statue of the Virgin Mary, this church in Sri Lanka has become a popular venue for weddings. Mass

A church from 1852, St. Mary's Church in Trincomalee is classically done in white with blue margins that give it an ethereal look. It sits within the garrison town near the harbour, and the plain interior is a contrast to the more decorated Catholic churches further south.

St Lucia's in Kotahena is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo and the seat of its archbishop, built on a scale few churches in the country match. Its grey stone dome and twin towers rise straight out of a dense working neighbourhood rather than over a square. Of the churches here it is the administrative centre of the Catholic church in Sri Lanka, which the Galle and Jaffna cathedrals are not.

Known locally as Periye Kovil for being surprisingly large and its Dutch-inspired architecture, St. Mary's Cathedral in Gurunagar of Jaffna is said to be more than 250 years old. According to local folklore, this church in Sri Lanka was built on the ashes of King Cankili's son, who was killed by the King himself because he converted to Christianity. Mass

Considered to be among the most striking landmarks in Galle owing to its remarkable architecture, St. Mary's Cathedral was built at the end of the 19th century by the Society of Jesus in dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Begun in 1874 and finished in the late 1800s, it is built in the Baroque Revival style and has been the seat of the Bishop of Galle since 1874.

This church in Sri Lanka is iconic for its lemon yellow and brown colours, and St. Anthony's Cathedral was built as a monastery and an abbey church. It was only later on that it was converted into a cathedral. The colouring makes it one of the easiest landmarks to pick out in Kandy, and it stays busy with local worshippers rather than visitors.

St Anthony's Shrine at Kochchikade, near the harbour in Kotahena, dates from 1828 and is dedicated to St Anthony of Padua. Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims come to petition him alongside Catholics, most heavily on Tuesdays. It was damaged in the Easter attacks of 2019 and has since been repaired and reopened. Of everything on this list it draws the most mixed congregation.

One of the most famous Roman Catholic Church and Basilica in Sri Lanka, Our Lady of Lanka is situated in the city of Thewatta. A highly popular pilgrimage destination for Sri Lankan Christians receiving well over tens of thousands of pilgrims annually, this church in Sri Lanka is known for its unique design and structure that has influences from local and traditional Sri Lankan architecture. Mass

Wolvendaal stands on a low rise above Pettah, finished in 1757, and is the oldest Protestant church still in use in the country. It is laid out as a Greek cross within walls a metre thick, with Dutch governors' tombstones set into the floor and box pews of calamander wood. Of the colonial churches here it is the Dutch one, and the Portuguese and British foundations elsewhere look nothing like it.

St Luke's in Borella, consecrated in 1941, is an Anglican church built in Kandyan style, with a tiled roof and carved timber columns in place of arches and a spire. It came out of the Church Missionary Society's work in Colombo. It is the one church on this list that looks Sinhalese rather than European, which is the reason to go.

Home to over 400 years of history enclosed in beautiful European Revival Baroque architecture, Our Lady Shrine of Madhu in Mannar is a pilgrimage centre for Sri Lankan Catholics. Considered to be the holiest Catholic shrine in the whole of Sri Lanka, this church in Sri Lanka also acts as a symbol of unity between people of different faiths and religion. Mass

Within the Galle Fort is one of the oldest Protestant Churches in Sri Lanka. Groote Kerk was constructed in 1755 at the highest point inside the Galle Fort which stands 12 meters above sea-level by the Dutch in forms of impressive Roman and Greek architecture similar to the Wolvendaal Church.