Historic Chilaw church celebrates 175 years

The Anglican Church in Chilaw, St. James' Church, will be celebrating its 175th anniversary on November 11. Prominent religious and civil leaders are expected to participate at this historic occasion with a solemn procession winding its way to the church from Ananda College grounds.

The chief celebrant at the Holy Eucharist on this day will be the Bishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. Duleep de Chickera. The preacher at this service will be the Roman Catholic Bishop of Chilaw, the Rt. Rev. Valance Mendis. The present parish priest, the Rev. P. Manickarajah will be in charge of all arrangements.

This beautiful church edifice is located in Weavers' Street in the midst of a lush coconut plantation facing the Negombo Lake. This church has a very interesting and significant history. Under Dutch rule in 1792, a community of weavers (about 50 families) were brought from Tutucorin and settled in Chilaw. It is from this community that the name Weavers' Street was derived. Though there is no trace of weavers today it stands as a reminder of past history.

There is also an interesting theory that the name Halawatta was derived due to the activity of this community who were Hindu converts. The weavers are supposed to have built a number of 'Salavas' or halls for the purpose of carrying on the art of weaving and the place is said to have acquired the name Salvagama, namely a village of halls, which was later corrupted to Halawatta. But this is only one of the theories regarding the origin of the name of this town.

The first pastor of this Christian community was a visiting chaplain the Rev. Christian David. Along with this community there were Burghers and other officials including the Collector, the Commandant of the District, who became one worshipping community. In 1814 under the direction of the British Governor of Ceylon, a small cadjan building was erected as the place of worship. As the congregation began to increase, it was decided to build a larger church on the very same spot.

An ambitious "Chilaw Church Fund" was started by the Collector and funds deposited in the Treasury. Churches from Mannar, Calpantyn, Puttalam, Negombo and Colombo etc., contributed towards this fund.

The name of Francis James Templer, the Collector of Chilaw is inseparably associated with this church as he was responsible for putting up the building in 1817. The community owed so much to him that his Christian name James was chosen to be the name of the Church. The Ceylon Gazette also states that it was named "St. James' Church" in compliment to Francis James Templer. A mural tablet is seen to this day embedded in the east wall of the church.

Today both Tamil and Sinhala communities worship in this church fostering fellowship and unity among its members. At the celebration of its 175th anniversary, this church stands as a reminder of its openness to the integration of all communities, both past and present.