Dutch Reformed Church Galle

Dutch Reformed Church Dutch Reformed Church Dutch Reformed Church

The Dutch Reformed Church or Groote Kerk is located within the Galle fort in Galle, Sri Lanka and is situated near the entrance to the fort. The church was built by the Dutch in 1755 and is one of the oldest Protestant churches still in use in the country.

The current existing church is believed to be the third building in the fort to serve the Dutch Reformed Church, the first being located near the Galle Clock Tower and the second, more elaborate building was constructed opposite the present church, with only the belfry remaining today. The present church is said to have been built on the site of a Portuguese Capuchin Convent.

The church underwent various changes during the British Period. A stained glass window was built into the west façade of the church around 1830 and a communion rail was built in the south wing. At the beginning of the 20th century, a small organ was placed in the south wing. Around 1890, a canopy was built above the stained glass window to protect it from leaking.

Dutch Reformed Church Dutch Reformed Church Dutch Reformed Church
【LK94007484: Text by Lakpura™. Images by Google, copyright(s) reserved by original authors.】

About Galle District

Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo.Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in south and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and south Asian traditions. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.

Galle is a sizeable town, by Sri Lankan standards, and has a population of 91,000, the majority of whom are of Sinhalese ethnicity. There is also a large Sri Lankan Moor minority, particularly in the fort area, which descend from Arab merchants that settled in the ancient port of Galle.

About Southern Province

The Southern Province of Sri Lanka is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. Subsistence farming and fishing is the main source of income for the vast majority of the people of this region.

Important landmarks of the Southern Province include the wildlife sanctuaries of the Yala and Udawalawe National Parks, the holy city of Kataragama, and the ancient cities of Tissamaharama, Kirinda and Galle. (Although Galle is an ancient city, almost nothing survives from before the Portuguese invasion.) During the Portuguese period there were two famous Sinhalese poets called Andare who was from Dickwella and Gajaman Nona who was from Denipitiya in Matara District, composing poems on common man.

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