St. Sebastian's Church, Wellaweediya

Last updated

St. Sebastian’s Church, Negombo
Negombo 03.jpg
Religion
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Rite Latin Rite
Location
Location Negombo, Sri Lanka
Architecture
Architect(s) Fr. G. Gannon
Type Church
Style Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking2 February 1936
Completed1946

The St. Sebastian's Church, Negombo, also known as St. Sebastian's Church, Wellaweediya, is a Roman Catholic church in Negombo, in Sri Lanka. [1] It is architecturally based on the Reims Cathedral in France and is built in Gothic Revival style. [2] Saint Sebastian is the patron saint of the city of Negombo.

Contents

Location

The church is located in Sea Street in Negombo, Sri Lanka. [3]

History

The church was designed by Father G. Gannon, parish priest of Sea Street. Although the foundation stone was laid by the Archbishop of Colombo, Pierre-Guillaume Marque, on 2 February 1936, construction was not completed until ten years later. It replaced a smaller church to accommodate the increasing number of parishioners in the majority catholic city. [3] It is said to be modeled in Gothic Revival style on the lines of the Reims Cathedral in France. A shadow of this church is seen in the Negombo Lagoon. [2]

This church is one of the many churches in Sri Lanka dedicated to St Sebastian, who is considered a martyr in the Catholic Church history. His veneration is particularly celebrated seeking relief from epidemics. A festival called the "Feast of St Sebastian" is held every year here during the month of January. [4] A tali drama narrating the life of Saint Sebastian used to be enacted here before 1950. Now, "Raja Tunkattuwa", a Sinhalese language drama about the Three Kings is held here during Christmas. [2]

Festival

At the St. Sebastian Church an annual festival dedicated to St. Sebastian is held on the last Sunday of the month of January. On this occasion a decorated flagstaff is affixed at the church premises before two weeks and food is served free to poor people. Also the whole village is decorated with colourful lights. On the feast day a beautiful procession carrying the statue of St.Sebastian is travelled around the village in a grandeur manner.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony of Padua</span> Franciscan friar and Doctor of the Church (1195–1231)

Anthony of Padua, OFM, or Anthony of Lisbon was a Portuguese Catholic priest and member of the Order of Friars Minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Vitus</span> Sicilian saint

Vitus, whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown. He has for long been tied to the Sicilian martyrs Modestus and Crescentia but in the earliest sources it is clear that these were originally different traditions that later became combined. The figures of Modestus and Crescentia are probably fictitious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Sebastian</span> 3rd-century Christian saint and martyr

Sebastian was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this did not kill him. He was, according to tradition, rescued and healed by Irene of Rome, which became a popular subject in 17th-century painting. In all versions of the story, shortly after his recovery he went to Diocletian to warn him about his sins, and as a result was clubbed to death. He is venerated in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church as the Patron Saint of Athletics, Archery, and Plagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Lucy</span> Third-fourth century Christian martyr and a canonized saint

Lucia of Syracuse, also called Saint Lucia and better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. She is one of eight women explicitly commemorated by Catholics in the Canon of the Mass. Her traditional feast day, known in Europe as Saint Lucy's Day, is observed by Western Christians on 13 December. Lucia of Syracuse was honored in the Middle Ages and remained a well-known saint in early modern England. She is one of the best known virgin martyrs, along with Agatha of Sicily, Agnes of Rome, Cecilia of Rome, and Catherine of Alexandria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Martial</span> 3rd century founding bishop of Limoges

Martial of Limoges, whose name is also rendered as Marcial, Martialis, and Marcialis, and is also called "the Apostle of the Gauls" or "the Apostle of Aquitaine," was the first bishop of Limoges. Venerated as a Christian saint, Martial of Limoges is considered to have been canonized Pre-Congregation, and his feast day is on 30 June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica (Toronto)</span> Church in Ontario, Canada

St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, and one of the oldest churches in Toronto. It is located at 65 Bond Street in Toronto's Garden District. St. Michael's was designed by William Thomas, designer of eight other churches in the city, and was primarily financed by Irish immigrants who resided in the area. The cathedral has a capacity of 1600. John Cochrane and Brothers undertook the work on the stone and stucco ornamentation of the interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard of Noblac</span> Frankish saint

Leonard of Noblac is a Frankish saint closely associated with the town and abbey of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, in Haute-Vienne, in the Limousin region of France. He was converted to Christianity along with the king, at Christmas 496. Leonard became a hermit in the forest of Limousin, where he gathered a number of followers. Leonard or Lienard became one of the most venerated saints of the late Middle Ages. His intercession was credited with miracles for the release of prisoners, women in labour and the diseases of cattle.

Finan of Lindisfarne, also known as Saint Finan, was an Irish monk, trained at Iona Abbey in Scotland, who became the second bishop of Lindisfarne from 651 until 661.

Moratuwa is a large municipality on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the Galle–Colombo main highway, 18 km (11 mi) south of the centre of Colombo. Moratuwa is surrounded on three sides by water, except in the north of the city, by the Indian Ocean on the west, the Lake Bolgoda on the east and the Moratu river on the south. According to the 2012 census, the suburb had a population of 168,280.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Negombo</span> City in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Negombo is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the west coast and at the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon, in the Western Province, 38 km (24 mi) from Colombo via the Colombo–Katunayake Expressway and the nearest major city from the Bandaranaike International Airport.

Anglican Marian theology is the summation of the doctrines and beliefs of Anglicanism concerning Mary, mother of Jesus. As Anglicans believe that Jesus was both human and God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, within the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglican movement, Mary is accorded honour as the theotokos, a Koiné Greek term that means "God-bearer" or "one who gives birth to God".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo</span> Roman Catholic archdiocese in Sri Lanka

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, whose ecclesiastical province covers all Sri Lanka plus the Maldives. It depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu</span> Our Lady Of Madhu

The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine in Mannar district of Sri Lanka. With a history of more than 400 years, the shrine acts as a center of pilgrimage and worship for Sri Lankan Catholics. The site is considered as the holiest Catholic shrine in the island and is a well known place of devotion for both Tamil and Sinhalese Catholics. The church has been a symbol of unity not just between Tamils and Sinhalese but also between people of different religions, including Buddhists, Hindus and Protestants.

Saint Altfrid was a leading figure in Germany in the ninth century. A Benedictine monk, he became Bishop of Hildesheim, and founded Essen Abbey. He was also a close adviser to the East Frankish King Louis the German.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin of Candelaria</span> Marian apparition

The Virgin of Candelaria or Our Lady of Candle (Tagalog: Mahal na Birhen ng Candelaria, popularly called La Morenita, celebrates the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. The center of worship is located in the city of Candelaria in Tenerife. She is depicted as a Black Madonna. The "Royal Basilica Marian Shrine of Our Lady of Candelaria" is considered the main church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the Canary Islands and she is the patroness saint of the Canary Islands. Her feast is celebrated on February 2 and August 15, the patronal feast of the Canary Islands.

Chilaw is a city in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is governed by an urban council, whereas the outskirts are governed by a pradeshiya sabha of the same name. The town is located 80 kilometers away from Colombo via Negombo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacome Gonsalves</span> Oratorian priest and missionary (1676–1742)

Jacome Gonsalves, CO was an Oratorian priest and missionary in Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Stephen's Church, Negombo</span>

Saint Stephen's Church, Negombo, is an Anglican church in Negombo, Sri Lanka. It was consecrated on 31 July 1880 in the presence of dedicated devotees which included several Wesleyans. Service was also conducted in the Sinhalese language on the occasion when a Sinhalese woman was also baptised, under the sponsorship of two English women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Church, Negombo</span>

St. Mary's Church is a landmark edifice, a Roman Catholic church in the heart of Negombo. It is one of the largest Catholic church in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Sebastian's Church, Enderamulla</span> Church in Wattala, Sri Lanka

St. Sebastian's Church, Enderamulla is a Roman Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is located in Enderamulla, Wattala. The church was established in 1891. After being a co‑parish with Dalugama (1879–1903) and Kirimetiyagara (1903–1934), it was declared as an independent parish in 1934.

References

  1. Anandappa 1990, p. 169.
  2. 1 2 3 Fernando, W. T. A. Leslie. "Religious fervour and communal harmony in Negombo". The Daily News . Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 "San Sebastian church". minube.net/. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  4. "Saint Sebastian venerated for intervention in epidemics". Asian Tribune. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2015.

Bibliography

7°13′08″N79°50′20″E / 7.219°N 79.839°E / 7.219; 79.839