Wolvendaal Church

Description and is it worth a visit

Wolvendaal Church is definitely one of Colombo's most interesting historical sites. It was built on a hill overlooking the surrounding area. Today, everything is built up and it is lost among the many buildings, but inside and on the territory of the church still preserves the spirit of the past.

The name translates from Dutch as "Valley of the Wolves", and not by chance. There were indeed jackals here, and the area itself was outside the Fort area and had yet to be developed. The construction of the church took eight years (1749-1757) and dates back to the Dutch period of State Development. Originally, the cathedral was crowned with a dome with a copper lion sitting on it with a crown on his head, which held a saber in one paw and seven arrows in the other, meaning the seven Dutch provinces. In 1856, lightning destroyed a lion and damaged the roof. The domed roof was later replaced with a more comfortable version.

The main interest are well-preserved wooden benches, chairs and pulpits made of black (ebony) wood of the XVII-XVIII centuries, a silver baptismal font dating back to 1667, an ancient organ. The floor inside the Church, as well as part of the courtyard, is paved with tombstones bearing the names of those buried within its confines, as well as those within the Old Fort church and Pettah district cemetery. The oldest slab dates back to 1661, and the latest-1831. the rector of the church or his assistants free of charge take you around the building and courtyard, focus on the most interesting exhibits.

Getting to know the sights of Colombo is much more interesting and informative with the help of guided tours, which can be purchased on one of the review sites.:

• Guided tours in Colombo on Trip.com (there are a lot of comedians, Russian maps work)
• Excursions to Colombo on GetYourGuide (many options, Russian maps do not work)
• Guided tours of Colombo on Sputnik8.com
• Excursions to Colombo on Tripster.ru
• Guided tours in Colombo on Tezeks.com