Situated just 20 minutes from Sri Lanka’s international airport is the coastal town of Negombo. It is predominantly a catholic area, dotted with many ancient Roman Catholic churches, thus garnering it the title Little Rome of Sri Lanka. The town is well worth exploring for its ancient religious remnants from the Portuguese era as well as religious monuments of modern times. Negombo is also well known for its stretch of easily accessible beach and quite easily has one of the highest concentrations of beach hotels in Sri Lanka. A place to check out if you’re hoping to spend some time in Negombo is Amagi hotels. One of their hotels is situated close to the Negombo lagoon and provides a good base to explore this culturally rich town.
Catholic influence of Negombo dates back to Portuguese colonial era and religious relics of this era are still here to be explored. Among Portuguese era Roman Catholic churches, St. Mary’s Church built in 1874 is situated in the heart of Negombo, is the biggest cathedral in Negombo adorned with ceiling paintings of frescoes, as well as alabaster statues of various saints. It is one of the few larger cathedrals in Sri Lanka. The other famous church in Negombo town is the Grand Street Church, also adorned with ceiling paintings and statues.
Among other places to explore around Negombo is Thalahena ChurchEast of Negombo.This Barbara Church, dedicated to St.Barbara was built in 1889andenshrined here is a statue of Saint Fatima brought by Portuguese to Talahena. This church is believed to have miraculous healing powers. Bolawalana St. Mary’s Church constructed in 1557, featuring Gothic style architecture during Portuguese rule is the oldest church in Negombo area. St. Philip Neri Church, St.Stephen’sChurch and KatuwapitiyaChurchare some of other holy sites and small Christ and Maria images found at street corners, worth visiting while exploring “Little Rome of Sri Lanka”- Negambo.
Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+