St. Paul's Church, Kandy
| St. Paul's Church | |
|---|---|
Southern side of the church
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Kandy, Sri Lanka |
| Geographic coordinates | 7°17′40.3″N 80°38′22.9″E / 7.294528°N 80.639694°ECoordinates: 7°17′40.3″N 80°38′22.9″E / 7.294528°N 80.639694°E |
| Affiliation | Anglican, Church of Ceylon |
| Year consecrated | 25 January 1853 |
| Status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Archaeological protected monument (8 July 2005) |
| Website | St. Paul's Church, Kandy |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic |
| General contractor | Affleck and Gordon, Engineers |
| Groundbreaking | 16 March 1843 |
| Completed | 1852 |
| Direction of façade | towards west |
St. Paul's Church is located in the historical district of Kandy, Sri Lanka on sacred grounds west of the Temple of the Tooth.
In 1825 the Bishop of Calcutta, Reginald Heber, visited Kandy with the Governor of Ceylon, Edward Barnes, to preach and conduct a confirmation service. He noted that the church services where being held in the former King of Kandy's Audience Hall, a location he associated with 'horrid cruelties'. Heber also recognised the need for a purpose built church to service the needs of the garrison and the local community.
In 1841 a public subscription list was established to fund the construction of the church.
In 1843 the British Government ceded a block of Crown land to the trustees of the church and their successors in order to construct a church in Kandy.
The foundation stone of the church was laid by the Bishop of Madras George Spencer on 16 March 1843 and whilst it was first used on 10 August 1846 construction work was still in progress. The church was primarily constructed out of solid terracotta bricks, manufactured at the Government brickworks. The church wasn't completed until 1852. The church was formally consecrated on 25 January, 1853 (Feast day of the conversion of St. Paul) by the first Bishop of Colombo, James Chapman.
The church was later enlarged in 1878 by Archdeacon Matthew, with addition of a chancel, vestry, and organ chamber. The bricks however were inferior to the original and therefore concreted over. In 1926 a number of significant cracks appeared in the church walls and the eastern section of the building was declared unsafe. The rebuilding of this section facilitated a new extension to the church, the 50 seat Lady Chapel, which was completed and dedicated in August 1928.
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