Saint 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 Saint 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.
Moratuwa is a large municipality in Sri Lanka, 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.
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.
The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. The country comes under the province of Colombo and is made up of 12 dioceses including one archdiocese. There are approximately 1.2 million Catholics in Sri Lanka representing around 6.1% of the total population. Later estimates suggest that there are over 1.6 million in 2020.
Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries was a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Considered as the father of Sri Lankan cinema, Lester worked as a filmmaker from 1949 to 2006, and was involved in over 28 films, including shorts and documentaries.
Christianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka. It was introduced to the island in first century. Traditionally, after Thomas the Apostle's visit in Kerala in AD 52, Christianity is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka because of its close geographical and commercial ties.
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.
Imiya Mudiyanselage Raphael Abhayawansa Iriyagolle was a Sri Lankan politician and Cabinet minister who served as Minister of Education between 1965 and 1970.
The Diocese of Mannar is a Roman Catholic diocese for north-western Sri Lanka, administered by the Bishop of Mannar, currently Fidelis Fernando.
Kandana is a suburb of Colombo in Western Province, Sri Lanka, 19 km (12 mi) north of the Colombo city centre. Due to the proximity to Colombo, Negombo as well as the Bandaranaike International Airport, the suburb is a popular residential area. The neighboring suburbs are Ja-Ela, Ragama, Peralanda and Wattala.
St. Sebastian's College is a Catholic educational institution in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, established in 1854.
The St. Sebastian's Church, Negombo, also known as St. Sebastian's Church, Wellaweediya, is a Roman Catholic church in Negombo, in Sri Lanka. It is architecturally based on the Reims Cathedral in France and is built in Gothic Revival style. Saint Sebastian is the patron saint of the city of Negombo.
The Nuwara Eliya Post Office is located in the centre of Nuwara Eliya and is one of the oldest post offices in Sri Lanka.
Assisi Nagar is a neighbourhood near Chennai, India. It is in Tiruvallur, and near Madhavaram. It is surrounded by a green area and has 10 streets with about 500 families.
St. Anthony's Shrine is a Roman Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The church is located at Kochchikade, Kotahena, Colombo 13, and is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua. The church is designated a national shrine and minor basilica. A tiny piece of St. Anthony's tongue is preserved in a special reliquary, which is located in a glass case together with a statue of the saint, at the entrance to the church.
On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches in Sri Lanka and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital, Colombo, were targeted in a series of coordinated ISIS-related terrorist suicide bombings. Later that day, two smaller explosions occurred at a housing complex in Dematagoda and a guest house in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people were killed, including at least 45 foreign nationals, three police officers, and eight suicide bombers. An additional 500 were injured. The church bombings were carried out during Easter services in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo; the hotels bombed included the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury and Tropical Inn. According to the State Intelligence Service, a second wave of attacks was planned, but was prevented due to government raids.
St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Badulla. It was established on 13 September 1881. The annual feast is held on the 2nd Sunday of October. The current church was built by the Rev. Fr. Peter Farina, OSB in the 1950s.
Al Abrar Mosque, or Masjidul Abrar Jumma Mosque, is a mosque in Beruwala, Sri Lanka, which is claimed to be the first and the oldest mosque in the country.
