Located in Tewatte, not far from Colombo, is a Roman Catholic Basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Lanka. Many religious groups visit this prominent Roman Catholic Church in the Colombo Archdiocese, which is widely visited by pilgrims from various backgrounds. The unusual architecture of this basilica, which incorporates elements from the local culture, is one of its most distinctive features.
It’s vital to know the history of the word in case you don’t know what a basilica is. The word “basilica,” which comes from the Latin word for “large Roman public building,” was originally used to refer to a court of justice. The term “Roman Catholic” came to refer exclusively to a large or significant church that was granted special ceremonial rites by the Pope as Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and formed the Roman Catholic sect. As it stands, there are presently more than 1500 basilicas worldwide. These are all minor basilicas, with the exception of a handful of large ones.
“The Basilica Of Our Lady Of Lanka Tewatte, Ragama”
1911 saw the founding of Our Lady of Lanka, which was a small chapel devoted to Our Lady of Lourdes (Mary Immaculate), France. It was constructed at the time as a part of the Ragama parish by a few Catholic laymen and the local pastor, Fr. A. Kieger. Years later, in 1917, Fr. A. Collorec, another chapel pastor, commissioned the construction of a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes with the help of some Catholic laborers from Colombo. Over time, the location gained popularity as local Buddhists and Hindus began to attend the services as well. As a result, in the 1930s, the chapel was enlarged to become a church.
But it was Jean-Marie Masson, the former Archbishop of Colombo, who gave it its real rise to fame. Archbishop Masson took an oath at the start of World War II. Masson was aware that Ceylon was located almost exactly in the middle of the globe. Any of the then-major powers would have greatly benefited from using the island, and they might even have been able to win the war. But at what price? The larger countries’ wars would destroy the island and its people. Thus, he prayed to God and promised to build a votive basilica known as Our Lady of Lanka if Ceylon were to be spared from major conflict. His wish was granted, and there was no significant fighting in Ceylon. With great pleasure, the Archbishop asked Pius XII, the pope at the time, for permission to build a basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Lanka in 1946.
Unfortunately, Masson passed away the following year before he could witness his efforts come to pass. But Archbishop Thomas Cooray, who succeeded him, did not allow the project to disappear into thin air. After assuming the duty of seeing that his predecessor’s vision was carried out, Cooray put in a lot of work, and in 1948 Pope Pius XII declared Mary Immaculate—then known as Our Lady of Lanka—to be the primary Roman Catholic patroness of the island. After that, he bought a nearby rubber estate and had the basilica built on the spacious plot of land. Numerous shade-giving native trees, like neem and others were planted in order to provide future pilgrims with a place to rest under the shade under its foliage
The basilica’s cornerstone was laid on February 4, 1950. For many years, the construction was done with exceptional care and imagination. A year after Pope Paul VI gave the church the title of Minor Basilica, it was finished in 1974. The Basilica was dedicated on February 6, 1974, and the statue of Our Lady of Lanka was crowned, designating it as the National Basilica of Sri Lanka. Tens of thousands of pilgrims still visit it every year, making it one of the most well-liked churches in the nation.
Visitors to the church may choose to walk the “Way of the Cross.” Starting from the left of the old church, the Stations of the Cross meander alongside the mission house, the grotto, and the bathing ponds. It comes to an end at the twelfth station, which honors Christ’s crucifixion, where a unique dais is reached in front of the Basilica.
Osadi Weerasuriya
