St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna
| St. Mary's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Jaffna Cathedral | |
| புனித மரியா தலைமைக் கோயில் | |
 | |
| 9°39′22.10″N 80°01′21.90″E / 9.6561389°N 80.0227500°ECoordinates: 9°39′22.10″N 80°01′21.90″E / 9.6561389°N 80.0227500°E | |
| Location | Jaffna |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St. Mary's Church |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Functional status | Active |
| Groundbreaking | 1789 |
| Completed | 1794 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Colombo |
| Diocese | Jaffna |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Thomas Savundaranayagam |
| Priest(s) | R. H. Sahayanayagam |
| Assistant priest |
|
St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaffna located in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.[1]
History
Construction of St. Mary's Church began in 1789 and was completed in 1794.[2] The first parish priest was Rev. Fr. Leonard Rebeiro.[2] The church was built on the site of a thatched house that had previously served as a worshipping place for Jaffna's Catholics.[3] By the early twentieth century the church, which was now a cathedral, had become too small to accommodate all its worshippers. Construction of a new cathedral began in 1939 but wasn't completed until 1975.[4]
Notes
- ↑ "St. Mary's Cathedral, Jaffna, Sri Lanka". GCatholic.org.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Martyn 1923, p. 8.
- ↑ Martyn 1923, p. 155.
- ↑ "Cathedral". St. Mary's Cathedral.
References
- Martyn, John H. (1923). Notes on Jaffna - Chronological, Historical, Biographical. Tellippalai: American Ceylon Mission Press. ISBN 81-206-1670-7.