Thewatta Church
Our Lady of Lanka is a Roman Catholic Basilica in Thewatte, just outside the city of Colombo. It is one of the most popular Roman Catholic churches in the Colombo Archdiocese; and is visited by pilgrims of many religious denominations. One of the most unique characteristics of this Basilica is its atypical architecture that has elements taken from local culture.
What is a Basilica?
For those who are not aware of what a Basilica is, it is important to understand the word’s origin. Basilica originates from the Roman language and was meant to describe a large Roman public building, usually a court of justice. When Christianity spread in the Roman Empire, forming Roman Catholic sect, the term came to refer specifically to a large or important church given special ceremonial rites by the Pope. As it is, there are currently well over 1500 basilicas all around the world. Out of these, except for just a few major basilicas, the others are all minor ones.
The History of the Thewatte Basilica
Our Lady of Lanka began its life in 1911 as a tiny chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes (Mary Immaculate), France. It was built by the local pastor Fr. A. Kieger and a few Catholic laymen, and was a part of the parish of Ragama at the time. Years later in 1917 another pastor of the chapel Fr. A. Collorec had a grotto built for Our Lady of Lourdes, with the assistance of some Catholic workers from Colombo. With time the place became more popular, as the local Hindus and Buddhists started attending the services as well. This led to the chapel being expanded into a church in the 1930s.
However, its true rise to fame occurred due to the former Archbishop of Colombo, Jean-Marie Masson. During the outbreak of the Second World War, Archbishop Masson made a vow. Masson knew that Ceylon was pretty much smack-dab right in the center of the world, literally. If any of the major powers at the time decided to use the island; they definitely would gain a huge advantage and may even be able to win the war. But at what cost? The island and its people would be destroyed by the wars of the larger countries. So prayed to God and vowed that if Ceylon were to be protected from major conflict, he would build a Votive Basilica under the title Our Lady of Lanka. His wish came true and Ceylon was indeed spared from any major warfare. The Archbishop was delighted and in 1946 he obtained approval from the then Pope, Pius XII, for the construction of a basilica in honor of Our Lady of Lanka.
Sadly enough, Masson died the following year before he could see his efforts reach fruition. However, his successor Archbishop Thomas Cooray did not let the project vanish into the ether. Cooray took on the responsibility of ensuring his predecessor’s vision was realized; and he worked hard and in 1948 the Pope Pius XII established the Mary Immaculate, to be known as Our Lady of Lanka, as the principal Roman Catholic patroness of the island. He then acquired a nearby rubber estate and had the basilica constructed on the amply sized land. Many shady local trees such as Neem, Na and etc were planted to give a place for future pilgrims to rest under.
