St. Thomas' Cathedral, Vaddukoddai St. Thomas' Cathedral (Sinhala: වඩුක්කෝඩේ ශාන්ත තෝමස් දේවස්ථානය; Tamil: டபுனித தோமசு பேராலயம், வட்டுக்கோட்டை) (old name Batticotta Dutch Church ) is the seat of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India located in Vaddukoddai, in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. History
As mentioned on the plaque that is fixed onto the facade of the church, this building has been constructed in 1678 by Laurens Pyl (Martyn, 2003; Wijebandara, 2014). Text (In Dutch): Doen Maken Door Den Heer Commandeur Laurens Pyls Anno 1678 Translation: Caused to be built by Commandeur Laurens Pyl, 1678 Although such a description is revealed on the plaque, the church is said to have been built by the Portuguese in 1640 (Wijebandara, 2014). It was taken over and renovated by the Dutch before being handed over to the American Ceylon Mission. The church is now an integral part of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. There are about 27 tombstones in the backyard of the church (Wijebandara, 2014). Of the…
