St. Lawrence's Church is the seat of the Wellawatte parish of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo.[2] It is located at Galle Road (near Pereira Lane), Wellawatte, Colombo 06. The church is dedicated to St. Lawrence, the patron saint of Sri Lanka,[3] Colombo and parish of Wellawatte.[4]
| St. Lawrence's Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Year consecrated | 1968 |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Wellawatte, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
  Shown within Colombo Municipality | |
| Geographic coordinates | 6°52′14.9″N 79°51′48.3″E / 6.870806°N 79.863417°E |
| Architecture | |
| Groundbreaking | 17 January 1954 |
| Completed | 6 March 1968[1] |
| Direction of façade | West |
On 6 January 1938 the Archbishop of Colombo, Jean-Marie Masson inaugurated the new Parish of Wellawatte. The original St Lawrence’s Church was built at Villa Pleasant (which was renamed St Lawrence Road) and Rev. Robert Fernando was appointed as its first priest. Fernando realised that the Church was too small for the congregation and purchased a parcel of land at 375 Galle Road, Wellawatte. On 17 January 1954 the Archbishop of Colombo, Thomas Cooray laid the foundation stone for the new church. Construction took fourteen years to complete, with the church being consecrated on 6 March 1968 by Cardinal Cooray.
References
edit- ^ David, S. B. (10 January 2008). "The Parish of St. Lawrence's Church, Wellawatte celebrates 70th anniversary". Daily News. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Parishes". Archdiocese of Colombo. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ Bunson, Matthew, ed. (2012). Our Sunday Visitor's 2012 Catholic Almanac. Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 978-1-59276-077-0.
- ^ Mel, Imojen (31 July 2006). "St. Lawrence – Patron Saint of Colombo and Parish of Wellawatte". The Island. Retrieved 5 March 2017.