All Saints' Church, Borella

All Saints' Church, Borella
The main nave of Saints' Church, Borella
General information
Type	Church
Architectural style	Gothic
Location	Borella, Colombo-8, Sri Lanka
Coordinates	6°55′15.13″N79°52′30.43″E / 6.9208694°N 79.8751194°E / 6.9208694; 79.8751194
Construction started	24 August 1935
Owner	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo

All Saints' Church is a Catholic church located in Borella, ^[1] Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo and belongs to the Borella parish.

History

The beginnings of the church date back to 1884, when Wyndham Thompson, wife of the Superintendent of the Convict Establishment (Welikada Prisons) and an enthusiastic Irish Catholic lady, met the Governor and reserved 0.81 ha (2 acres) from the 8.1 ha (20 acres) allocated to the Campbell park to build a church. This church was dedicated to All Saints and the foundation for the current church was laid on 24 August 1935. ^{[2] [3]}

Interior

The interior of the church is very colorful ^[2] with stained glass windows with the main window above the altar depicting Mother of Perpetual Help.^{[ citation needed ]} The church also features a carillon made up of 25 bells cast in West Germany with each bell having a name of a saint.^{[ citation needed ]} The church has a balcony for the choir.

Notable people

• Fr. John Herath (Parish Priest, 1948–1977) ^[4]

References

1. "All Saints' Church | Attractions in Sri Lanka". Time Out Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
2. "All Saints Church, Borella: Unique bell tower in Asia". archives.sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
3. "All Saints Church, Borella: Where the carillon chimes". Sunday Observer. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2019-09-10.
4. "The annual feast of All Saints' Church". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 2015-12-24.