St. Lucia's Cathedral Colombo
Tags : Church & Cathedral
Timings : 5:30 AM to 12:00 Noon & 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Entry Fee : Free
St. Lucia's Cathedral, Colombo Overview
St. Lucia's Cathedral is named after the martyr St. Lucia, patron saint for eye ailments. It was first established in 1760 and now seats around 5,000 as the seat of the Archbishop of Colombo. Sunday mass draws large crowds, so visit on a weekday morning for a quieter look at the stained glass and bell tower.
The St. Lucia’s Cathedral church is the oldest Parish church in Sri Lanka and is considered the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo. The cathedral is a massive structure that exhibits hallmarks of the Renaissance style. The characteristic features include seven statues, beautiful wooden carvings, and intricate glass-stained windows with four humongous bells. The highlight of the building is the 4300-pound bell named Anthony Thomas which was shipped from France and had elaborate carvings of symbols of the floral wreath and holy figures. This massive structure can easily host around 5000 worshippers.
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History of St. Lucia’s Cathedral
The St. Lucia’s Cathedral is almost 110 years old and was built as a small chapel of wood built-in 1760 as an occupation of the Dutch. This small cathedral 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. Later a foundation stone was added to the new cathedral building to replace the old one. The main body of the cathedral was completed by the year in December by 1887.
