Holy Cross Church, Gampaha

Holy Cross Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Gampaha, Sri Lanka. It is part of the Archdiocese of Colombo. [ [http://www.archdioceseofcolombo.com/Tel_5parishes%20chs.php Parishes and Churches of the Archdiocese of Colombo] .] It is located in town area that everyone can access easily. Most of citizens well known it as the Rock Church because the outer side of the church is made by the Gneiss (hard rocks). The Holy Cross Church is also known as "Gal Palliya" (Rock Church) in Sinhala language () is composed from 2 words – "Gal", which means "Rock" and "Palliya", which means "Church".

History

According to the book of The Temporal and Spiritual Conquest of Ceylon by the historian Rev.Fr.Fernao De Queyroz(.

Rev.Fr. Fernao De Queyroz was a Portuguese Christian clergy born at Amarante in Portugal in the Province of Entre Douro e Minho, in 1617. He arrived in Goa, India in 1635. It appears that he began to write the book by about in 1671 and completed in 1686. The written work consisted of six books, but Rev.Fr. S.G.Perera, who translated the book from Portuguese to English, compiled the books into three volumes. The English translation was first published by the Ceylon Government Press, in 1930.

After the period of Portuguese, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_period_in_Ceylon “Dutch” who have had control over the parts of Sri Lanka] and against the Catholic and other traditional religions, ruins the church and extorted the land by Dutch Protestants.

Gossip says this forage land formerly known in 1962 as the “Kasadoruge Watta ( main road.

The Church

In 1906, Italian clergy Rev.Fr.C.Kardano ()] and Fr.Kardano decides this land is also not suitable for a House of God too. Unfortunately those days Reverent Father got Parish Transfer and he leave from the parish.

Cont....

The Propagation of Parish Priests

Satellite View

[http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&ll=7.09434,79.995242&spn=0.002364,0.003433&t=k&z=18&msid=103254026399172034352.000454d1639f372588a22 Google Map of the Holy Cross Church, Gampaha]

Namesake

There are also another Holy cross churches in Archdiocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka.

*Holy Cross Church at Pulasthigama in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
*Holy Cross Church at Kalutara, Sri Lanka.
*Holy Cross Church at Mahahunupitiya in Negombo, Sri Lanka.
*Holy Cross Church at Mirigama, Sri Lanka.
*Holy Cross Church at Tarala in Pugoda, Sri Lanka.

Extra

Apostolic Blessing certificate from Pope John Paul 2 for 75th Anniversary of Holy Cross Church, Gampaha, Sri Lanka in 1991

References

*75th Holy Cross Church Anniversary Souvenir - 1991 September
* [http://www.archdioceseofcolombo.com/ The Archdiocese of Colombo]
* [http://www.christianaggression.org/ Christian Aggression]
* [http://www.ices.lk/publications/esr/articles_jan98/ARTICLE.PDF Religion and Nationalism in Nineteenth Century Sri Lanka - Christian Missionaries and Their Critics(A Review Article by K M de Silva)]
* [http://maps.google.com/ Google Map]
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

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