Dutch Reformed Church of Kalpitiya

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The Kalpitiya Peninsula is a narrow strip of land located on the western coast of Sri Lanka in the Puttalam District, bordered by the sea and the Puttalam Lagoon. Before the arrival of the Portuguese, the area was sparsely populated and known locally as Arasadi, which later evolved into Kalputti or Kalpetti. The Portuguese referred to it as Calpiti or Kardiva, while the Dutch called in Calpentyn or Calpetty.

Spread of Christianity in Kalpitiya

By 1610, the Portuguese had established a small Christian mission on the peninsula with two priests, and a church was built in Kalpitiya. According to S.G. Perera (1941/2004, pp. 48–49), this church successfully converted most of the local population to Christianity, with the exception of some of the Moor (Muslim) community. Additionally, one missionary brought a group of Indian converts to settle and cultivate the land.

Dutch Colonial Influence and the Reformed Church in Kalpitiya

In 1659, the Dutch seized Kalpitiya from the Portuguese and by 1667 had constructed the fort that still stands today. The original Portuguese church was incorporated into the northern barracks of the fort, while a new garrison church, similar in style to the Dutch Reformed Church in Matara, was built outside the fort walls.

According to Christoph Schweitzer, who wrote about Ceylon between 1676 and 1682, services at the church were conducted in Dutch, Portuguese, and Tamil (referred to then as “Malabarish”) (Modder, 1908, p. 49)

Transformation of the Church Under British Administration

Kalpitiya fort fell into British hands in 1795 without any bloodshed. With the British takeover, the church gradually fell into disuse.

By the mid-19th century, Anglican missionaries had repurposed the church and renamed it St. Peter’s Church. Its facade was rebuilt in a distinctly English architectural style, giving it a somewhat incongruous appearance. By the 1920s, it was still known by this name.

In 1954, the building had deteriorated so significantly that major renovations were undertaken by the Department of Archaeology. The entire roof structure was replaced, retiled, and repairs were made to cracked and damaged walls (Paranavitana, 1955, p. G3).

Today, remnants of the original Dutch church include several tombstones cemented into the floor and the original belfry that still stands nearby.

For many years, the site was managed by the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka. In December 2010, ownership of the church was officially restored to the Dutch Reformed (Christian Reformed) Church.

Dutch Reformed Churches in Sri Lanka

Tombstone tiles of Dutch Reformed Church of Kalpitiya

References

Modder, F. (1908). Gazetteer of the Puttalam District of the North-western Province of Ceylon. H. R. Cottle, Government Printer of Ceylon.
Paranavitana, S. (1955). Report of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon for 1954: Education, science and art (G). Archaeological Survey of Ceylon.
Perera, S. G. (2004). Jesuits in Ceylon (in the XVI and XVII centuries). Asian Educational Services. (Original work published 1941)
www.wolvendaalfoundation.pl. (n.d.). Historic buildings of the Dutch Reformed Church: The Dutch Church at Kalpitya. Wolvendaal Foundation. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20170611143304/http://www.wolvendaal.org/churches-monuments/kalpitya-church
Aserappa, A. (1927). The Ceylon Chetty community.

Also See

Historical Churches of Sri Lanka

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