St Lucias Catherdral

St Lucias Catherdral St Lucias Catherdral St Lucias Catherdral

St. Lucy of Sicily whose feast falls on December 13 is venerated the world over as the protectress against eye trouble. Legend has it that she had the most beautiful pair of eyes and that she pulled them out to present them to an unwelcome suitor who was enamored by their beauty. However, her eyes were miraculously restored to her more beautiful than before. Named after this virgin and martyr saint are St. Lucia’s Cathedral of Kotahena, the oldest and largest parish cathedral in Sri Lanka and the seat of the Archbishop of Colombo.

The 110-year-old cathedral had humble origins in a small chapel of wood and Cadjan built by the Oratorian fathers in 1760 when Ceylon was under Dutch occupation. This was replaced by a larger church of brick and mortar in 1782. When Ceylon was detached from the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Goa in 1834, Rev. Fr. Vincenti Rosario was appointed the first Vicar-Apostolic of Ceylon and St. Lucia’s Cathedral became the first cathedral of Sri Lanka. Eventually, the foundation stone for a new cathedral building was laid to replace the old one. In 1873 Bishop H D Sillani and Rev. Fr. S Tabarrani, men of great vision and talent designed and initiated the building of St. Lucia’s Cathedral thus planting the seeds of grandeur and Lnagnificence of what was to be.

The Catholics of Colombo, the churches outside the city, and even the fisher folk contributed their share to the building fund. The cathedral cost Rs 160,000 to build which was an enormous amount in the last century, yet totally funded by the pious generosity of the Ceylonese Catholics of the time. Towards the end of 1887 the main body of the cathedral was completed and the blessing of the cathedral took place in December of that year. However the building of the cathedral took 30 years and was completed in 1902 when the scaffoldings were finally dismantled and the site cleared. The succeeding generations of parishioners and parish priests continued to embellish the cathedral with exquisite statues and sacred vessels often shipped from Europe. After a succession of European priests Rev. Fr. Nereus Fernando became the first Sri Lankan parish priest of the cathedral in 1956. Under the dynamic leadership of Rev. Fr. Rufus Benedict the cathedral was prepared for its centenary which was celebrated in December 1987. St. Lucia’s Cathedral Kotahena is the legacy of parishioners whose fervent faith aspired to build this magnanimous tribute to God. At the threshold of yet another century the cathedral stands unsurpassed in beauty and in magnificence as it has always stood over the last one hundred years.

【LK94000680: Text by Lakpura™. Images by Google, copyright(s) reserved by original authors.】

À propos du district de Colombo

Colombo est la plus grande ville et la capitale commerciale du Sri Lanka. Elle est située sur la côte ouest de l'île, à proximité de Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, la capitale du pays. Colombo est une ville animée et dynamique, mêlant modernité, bâtiments et ruines coloniaux, et compte 647 100 habitants. La région métropolitaine de Colombo, définie par les districts de Colombo, Gampaha et Kalutara, compte une population estimée à 5 648 000 habitants et couvre une superficie de 3 694,20 km². Colombo est une ville multiethnique et multiculturelle. C'est la ville la plus peuplée du Sri Lanka, avec 642 163 habitants. La population de Colombo est un mélange de nombreux groupes ethniques, principalement cinghalais, maures et tamouls. On y trouve également de petites communautés d'origine chinoise, portugaise, néerlandaise, malaise et indienne, ainsi que de nombreux expatriés européens. La grande majorité des entreprises sri-lankaises ont leur siège social à Colombo. Parmi les industries présentes figurent les produits chimiques, le textile, le verre, le ciment, la maroquinerie, le mobilier et la bijouterie. Le centre-ville abrite le deuxième plus haut gratte-ciel d'Asie du Sud : le World Trade Centre. À propos de la province occidentale : la province occidentale est la plus densément peuplée du Sri Lanka. Elle abrite la capitale législative, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, ainsi que Colombo, centre administratif et commercial du pays. La province occidentale est divisée en trois districts principaux : Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1 386,6 km²) et Kalutara (1 606 km²). En tant que pôle économique du Sri Lanka, la ville accueille toutes les grandes entreprises locales et internationales, ainsi que les grands créateurs et les grandes enseignes. Préparez-vous donc à une séance de shopping dans la province occidentale. Avec la plus forte population de toutes les provinces, la province occidentale abrite la quasi-totalité des principaux établissements d'enseignement de l'île. Parmi les universités de la province, on compte l'Université de Colombo, l'Université de Sri Jayewardenepura, l'Université de Kelaniya, l'Open University, l'Université bouddhiste et pali du Sri Lanka, l'Université de défense générale Sir John Kotelawala et l'Université de Moratuwa. La province occidentale compte le plus grand nombre d'établissements scolaires du pays, comprenant des écoles nationales, provinciales, privées et internationales.

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