Sunday, August 31, 2014

St. Mary's Cathedral - A Glimpse of Catholic Faith in Negombo (Sri Lanka)


It took them 50 years to complete St. Mary's Cathedral in Negombo, a Ceylonese fishing village and resort close to Bandaranaike airport. The town itself is ruled by Christian faith, thus the moniker "Little Rome" of the Indian subcontinent, owing to the ornate churches built during the rule of the Portuguese in the country. It isn't any wonder why our Argentine Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) is visiting Sri Lanka in 2015. St. Mary's will be 141 years old by then. Yet its age doesn't show. The church is wonderfully maintained.

Built in 1874, Negombo's biggest cathedral is easily visited. It's situated at the main road of the beach area. I could, in fact, walk from my guest house. The atmosphere of the church is as laidback as the town itself. You could hear the rush of the waves from the nearby shore. Churches of this beauty make religion a bit more gratifying to practice.

This is the Eye in the Sky!

  

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