Wolvendaalsche Kerk - Colombo, Sri Lanka - This Old Church on Waymarking.com

from wikipedia:

The Wolvendaal Church is a Grade I listed church in Colombo, a city in Sri Lanka.

The church was built in 1749 by the Dutch East India Company in what was then Ceylon, a Dutch colony at the time. It is the only church built by the company in colonial times in Colombo. The church has 800 seats and was sometimes also called the Buitenstadskerk. In the 80s of the 20th century, the interior was restored with the help of the Dutch Reformed Church. Several gravestones with Dutch inscriptions are visible. The name Wolvendaal may be related to jackals present at the time. A VOC logo can be seen on the fence around the church.

In 1736, governor Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff requested the VOC authorities in Batavia (now Jakarta) to approve the construction of a new church in Colombo because the old church in the fort had been dilapidated. Batavia did not react very enthusiastically: this permission was only granted in 1743.

The new church was built on a hill outside the city. The foundations were started in 1749. It took eight years for the church to be completed. The opening service of the church was held on March 6, 1757. Predecessor was Rev. Matthias Wirmelskircher. The text used on this occasion was Genesis 28:22. And the stone that Ick set as an upright check, sal a Huys Godts pointed.

The church grew with the increasing number of settlers from 150 members in 1684 to more than 1,000 in 1757, and in 1789 the congregation had more than 2,000 members. Besides Dutch ministers, the congregation was also served by native ministers from Ceylon, such as the Tamil Philippus de Melho. He became a renowned pastor in the church. All the governors of Ceylon were buried in church. The last was Jan Gerard van Angelbeek.

The church is built in the shape of a Greek cross. The brick dome on the church is topped with a copper lion. The lion has a crown on its head, seven arrows in one hand and a sword in the other. These seven arrows represented the seven united provinces of the Dutch Republic. In 1856 the lion was badly damaged by lightning and has never been restored. The walls of the church are five feet wide at the bottom.

Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1749 Age of Church building determined by?: Cornerstone or plaque If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Dutch reformed If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 10:00 AM Street address of Church: Wolfendhal lane Colombo, Sri Lanka Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link] If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: Not listed Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: Not listed

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