Wolvendaal Church, Colombo, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

Wolvendaal Church is an 18th-century Dutch Reformed church in Colombo, Sri Lanka, set on a rise just outside the old Fort area. Its foundation stone dates to 1749, it was dedicated in 1757, and it is still used for worship today, which makes it one of the best-preserved reminders of Dutch rule in the city.

The story behind it

The name means Wolf's Valley. The most popular explanation is that the Dutch, newly arrived in Colombo, saw jackals roaming outside the Fort and took them for wolves. Whether or not that is the whole story, the name stuck to the hill and then to the church.

The church itself took some persuading. In 1736 the Dutch Governor asked the VOC, the Dutch East India Company, to replace the church inside the Fort, and the request was turned down as too costly. A later Governor made a different case for building on this hill, and that plan was approved. After about eight years of construction the church was dedicated in 1757. Five Dutch Governors are buried inside it, and the company that built it is long gone while the congregation carries on.

What to look for

• Find the foundation stone on the facade and read the year 1749, the start of the building work.
• Look at the overall shape and the heavy, plain walls, which show the practical style the Dutch used for colonial churches.
• Notice the memorials and burial slabs inside, which mark the resting places of the Dutch Governors.
• Pause in the grounds and think about the name: this was open, rising ground where jackals once wandered, and it is now surrounded by city.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the church and its grounds, longer if you read the memorials closely.
• This is a working place of worship, so dress modestly, keep your voice low and check current opening hours and visiting rules before you go.
• Go in the morning if you can, when Colombo is cooler and the streets are easier to walk.
• Vivekananda Hill, with its statue, is close by, so you can combine both stops in one short walk.

See it on a quest

Faiths of the Shoreline: Kotahena passes Wolvendaal Church as one stop on a longer walk through this part of Colombo. You reach each place on foot, the app tells you about it as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the building properly instead of just photographing it. The theme of faiths suits a church like this one. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group.