St Peter's Church, Colombo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

St. Peter's Church ( Sinhala:ශාන්ත පීතර දේවස්ථානය ''Santha Pithara Devasthanaya'') is one of the oldest continuously functioning churches in Colombo,
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. It is located on Church Street in
Colombo Fort Fort (Colombo) (Sinhala: ; Tamil: ) is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE ...
, on the northern side of the
Grand Oriental Hotel Grand Oriental Hotel or GOH (also previously known as the Taprobane Hotel) is a 3 star heritage hotel, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. History The original building on the site was a simple, single-storey structure with open verandah to the st ...
.


History

During the Portuguese occupation of the country a Dominican
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
and a charity hall, the Chapel of Misericordia (House of Mercy) were constructed on the site (c.1627), where the church is now located. Nearby was an early Gothic church, St. Dominico, of which only an inscribed stone set over its arches remains. In approximately 1666, ten years after the capture of
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
by the
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
they converted the building into the official residence for the
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
, with an elegant two storey facade facing the waterfront. The mansion had a flat roof, a large arched portico of cubicle form, and several large windows that let in light and air. The building was used for council meetings, and a reception/banquet hall, where ambassadors from the
Kingdom of Kandy The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the Sri Lanka, island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom ...
were entertained. The British firstly used the structure as the residence of
Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Hay MacDowall Lieutenant-General Hay MacDowall ( 1752 – 16 March 1809) was a Scottish officer in the British Army who was the sixth General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. He was appointed on 19 July 1799. He was succeeded by David Douglas Wemyss. Fort MacDo ...
(
General Officer Commanding, Ceylon General Officer Commanding, Ceylon (also known as ''Commander of Troops'' or ''Officer Commanding His/Her Majesties Troops, Ceylon'') was the designation of the General Officer appointed to command all British Army units stationed in the island of ...
), though by this time the building was in a state of disrepair with the roof leaking badly. Between 1796 and 1803,
Wolvendaal Church Wolvendaal Church (''Wolvendaalse Kerk'') is located in Pettah, Sri Lanka, Pettah, a neighbourhood of Colombo. It is one of the most important Dutch colonial-era buildings in Sri Lanka and is one of the oldest Protestant churches still in use i ...
was opened to
Anglicans Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
for worship. In 1804 the first British Governor, Frederick North, resolved to convert the building to a Garrison Church. publishing a notice on 14 March in '' The Ceylon Government Gazette'' announcing that a 'Divine Service will be held at the Government House on Sunday at 4.30 p.m'. Between 1810 and 1820 a portion of the building was used temporarily as a court house. In 1816 the first Bishop of Calcutta,
Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...
, attended and gave a sermon at the church. In April 1821 on the occasion of the second visit by the bishop, acting on the formal request by the acting Governor Edward Barnes, he "consecrated and set apart forever for the service of God" the church on 22 May. In the same year, Governor Barnes handed over St. Peter's Church to four trustees. Between September and December 1832 the church closed for repairs and during this time the verandah and portico with its classical masonry columns, typical of British buildings during this period were added. Very little vestiges of the original Dutch colonial architecture remain, with the exception of the clear
storey A storey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or story (American English), is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the wor ...
windows and prominent gable walls. The church and its cemetery contain a number of commemorative monuments, plaques and tombs, including
William Tolfrey William Tolfrey (1778 – 4 January 1817, in Colombo) was a British civil servant in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and translator of the Bible into Sinhalese.Language, religion, and ethnic assertiveness: p. 67 Kē. En. Ō Dharmadāsa – 1992 "In conn ...
(1778–1817), who translated the Bible into
Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
and Sinhalese; Thomas James Twistleton (1770–1824), the first Archdeacon of Colombo; Henry Matthews, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court; George Steuart (1808–1896), founder of George Steuarts; Louise Rodney (1778–1814), wife of
John Rodney Raymond John Flynn (March 7, 1914 – January 1, 1996), known professionally as John Rodney, was an American actor, who worked in film and television. He also used the name John Flynn. Career Theatrical films Rodney was born in Brooklyn, New ...
,
Colonial Secretary of Ceylon The chief secretary of Ceylon, was the chairman and one of three officers of state of the Board of Ministers of the State Council of Ceylon from 1932 to 1947. The post succeeded that of ''Colonial Secretary'' which was one of six offices that hel ...
(1806–1833); Sir Charles Peter Layard (1806–1893), the first
Mayor of Colombo The Mayor of Colombo is the elected head of the Colombo Municipal Council. The post was created in 1866 when the Colombo Municipal Council was established by the Legislative Council of Ceylon. The mayor is assisted by the deputy mayor and a Munic ...
(1866–1877); and the soldiers from the
Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regiment ...
2nd Battalion, who died whilst serving in Ceylon between 1904 and 1906. The first chaplain was the Rev. James Cordiner, who arrived in Colombo in 1799 and left in 1804. He was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas James Twisleton followed by Rev. George Bisset, Ven. J. M. S. Glenie, and then Rev. Benjamin Bailey. The first
Bishop of Colombo Bishop of Colombo may refer to: * Anglican Bishop of Colombo The Anglican Bishop of Colombo is the ecclesiastical head of the Anglican Diocese of Colombo, a diocese in the Church of Ceylon which is part of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican ...
, Dr. James Chapman, was enthroned at St. Peter's on 7 November 1845. During the Sri Lankan Civil War access to the church was highly restricted due to its location directly opposite the
Colombo Harbour The Port of Colombo , (known as Port of Kolomtota during the early 14th Century Kotte Kingdom) is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Located in Colombo, on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River, it serves as ...
and adjacent to the
Sri Lanka Police Sri Lanka Police (; ) is the civilian national police force of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The police force is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the p ...
Headquarters.


See also

*
Church of Ceylon The Church of Ceylon () is the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka. It is an extraprovincial jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who serves as its Metropolitan bishop, Metropolitan. It was established in 1845 with the appointment of the fir ...


References


External links


Church of Ceylon - The Anglican Church in Sri Lanka

Diocese of Kurunegala
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter, St. Churches in Colombo Church of Ceylon church buildings in the Diocese of Colombo 1821 establishments in Ceylon Churches completed in 1821 19th-century Anglican church buildings in Sri Lanka