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.】

Om Colombo-distriktet

Colombo är Sri Lankas största stad och kommersiella huvudstad. Den ligger på öns västkust och intill Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, Sri Lankas huvudstad. Colombo är en livlig och pulserande stad med en blandning av modernt liv och koloniala byggnader och ruiner och en stadsbefolkning på 647 100. Colombos storstadsregion, definierad av distrikten Colombo, Gampaha och Kalutara, har en uppskattad befolkning på 5 648 000 och täcker en yta på 3 694,20 km². Colombo är en multietnisk och multikulturell stad. Det är den mest befolkade staden i Sri Lanka, med 642 163 personer som bor inom stadsgränserna. Befolkningen i Colombo är en blandning av många etniska grupper, främst singaleser, morer och tamiler. Det finns också små grupper av människor med kinesiskt, portugisiskt, holländskt, malaysiskt och indiskt ursprung som bor i staden, samt många europeiska utlandsboende. Den stora majoriteten av srilankanska företag har sina huvudkontor i Colombo. Några av industrierna inkluderar kemikalier, textilier, glas, cement, lädervaror, möbler och smycken. I stadens centrum ligger Sydasiens näst högsta byggnad - World Trade Center.

Om Västra provinsen

Västra provinsen är Sri Lankas mest tätbefolkade provins. Här ligger den lagstiftande huvudstaden Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte samt Colombo, landets administrativa och affärsmässiga centrum. Västra provinsen är uppdelad i tre huvuddistrikt: Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1 386,6 km²) och Kalutara (1 606 km²). Som Sri Lankas ekonomiska centrum finns alla större lokala och internationella företag i staden, liksom alla större designerbutiker och butiker på huvudgatan, så var beredd att ägna dig åt lite shoppingterapi i västra provinsen. Med den högsta befolkningen i alla provinser ligger nästan alla de främsta utbildningsinstitutionerna på ön i västra provinsen. Universiteten i provinsen inkluderar University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University och University of Moratuwa. Västra provinsen har det största antalet skolor i landet, vilket inkluderar nationella, provinsiella, privata och internationella skolor.

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