Ruins of the Dutch Church at Kayts St. Anthony’s Church in Jaffna(කයිට්ස් ශාන්ත ඇන්තෝනි පුරාණ ඕලන්ද පල්ලිය)

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Ruins of the Dutch Church at St. Anthony's Church in Kayts — Ruins of the Dutch Church at St. Anthony’s Church in Kayts
photo by : Delex Xavier

St Anthony’s Church in the island of Kayts in Jaffna and lies 500 meters off the Kayts Ferry. The island can be reached over land on the Jaffna – Kayts road through Mandaitivu island or through a ferry from Karainagar.

The ruins of the ancient Dutch Church lie adjoining the new St Anthony’s Church. Although the roof had caved in, the huge walls of the church stood tall by the beach on the sandy land. This building has been protected as an archaeological monument on 23 February 2007.

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Traveling directions to the Ruins of the Dutch Church at Kayts St. Anthony’s Church

Jaffna can be reached through two principal routes. The most commonly used approach is via Elephant Pass, which has long served as the traditional gateway to the Jaffna Peninsula.

An alternative route reaches Jaffna from the direction of Pooneryn by crossing the Sangupiddy Bridge. This crossing follows what was historically the ancient route to the peninsula before the construction of modern highways. The route provides a connection between Jaffna and the Mannar region.

Route 01 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Kurunegala (Popular Route)	Route 02 from Colombo to Jaffna Through Puttalam and Pooneryn (Lesser Traveled Route)
Through : Kurunegala – Dambulla – Anuradhapura – Vavuniya Distance: 410 km Travel Time: 7-8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.	Through: Puttalam – Thantirimale – Mannar – Poonaryn Distance: 408 km Travel Time: 8 hours Driving Directions: see on Google Maps.

Travel directions from Jaffna town to the Ruins of the Dutch Church at Kayts St. Anthony’s Church

Distance : 21 km
Travel time : 30 min
Time to spend : 30 mins
Driving directions : see on Google map

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