5/5 Romein N. 3 years ago on Google
Biggest
church
building
in
Sri
Lanka.
One
of
the
oldest
cathedrals
in
Sri
Lanka.
Main
cathedral
church
of
Jaffna
diocese
since
1845.
According
to
local
folklore
King
of
Jaffna
Cankili
I
killed
his
son
at
the
location
of
the
present
cathedral
after
his
son
converted
to
Catholicism.
The
prince's
ashes
were
buried
at
the
spot
where
he
was
killed
and
a
chapel,
which
later
served
as
the
foundation
for
the
construction
of
the
present
cathedral,
was
built.
Construction
of
old
St.
Mary's
Church
began
in
1789
and
was
completed
in
1794.
The
first
parish
priest
was
Rev.
Fr.
Leonard
Rebeiro.
The
church
was
built
on
the
site
of
a
thatched
house
that
had
previously
served
as
a
worshipping
place
for
Jaffna's
Catholics.
The
church
has
a
total
of
fourteen
novenas.
The
ancestors
of
the
10th
and
11th
novenaa
gifted
land
for
the
church
and
the
ancestors
of
the
12th
and
13th
novenas
gifted
land
and
also
contributed
with
money
for
purchasing
land
for
the
church.
Construction
of
a
new
cathedral
began
in
1939
but
wasn't
completed
until
1975.
1 person found this review helpful 👍
