St. Mary's Cathedral (Galle)
The Cathedral of St. Mary or Cathedral of the Mother of Rosary (Sinhala:ශාන්ත මරියා ආසන දෙව් මැදුර, ගාල්ල; Tamil: புனித மரியாள் பேராலயம், காலி) is a catholic church in Galle, Sri Lanka. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galle. History
During the Dutch Period (1658-1796 A.D.), a small church is said to have been established at the premises where the present cathedral stands (Jayasinghe, 2007).
The present cathedral was established at the end of the 19th century. Priest Don Benedict Martin, during his tenure as the resident priest of Galle, initiated the construction of the church in 1873 by laying the foundation stone (Jayasinghe, 2007). The work of the church was started in 1874 (Jayasinghe, 2007). Old Catholic Cemetery Several old tombstones belonging to the period 1851-1898 are found on the church premises (Abeyawardana, 2004). According to a map of Galle drawn in 1790 by Major Reimer and G.E. Schenck, there had been a…
