St. Stephen’s Church Negombo

St. Stephen’s Church Negombo will be celebrating its 125th anniversary on the 31st of July 2004. The Church is dedicated to the first Christian martyr Stephen who was stoned to death.

This picturesque church of Gothic architecture stands on a mound by the placid waters of the Negombo Lagoon, in a very scenic location away from the hustle and bustle of the much congested bazaar. The surrounding area is also of much archaeological and historical importance and is still referred to as the Dutch Fort.

It was consecrated on the 31st of July 1879 by Rt. Rev. R.S. Copleston Bishop of Colombo. The church membership in those early days consisted of the British government officials serving in the area and members of the Burgher and Sinhalese communities. Worship services from the very beginning have been conducted in both English and Sinhalese and it’s noteworthy that the Bishop had addressed the worshippers in Sinhalese at a subsequent service following the service of consecration.