Dutch Reformed Church – Kalpitiya

Description

Dutch Reformed Church is located in the Kalpitiya. The Portuguese invaded the town during the colonial era in the early 16th century. It was renamed Kardiv Island and presented to the Society of Jesus on the King of Portugal.
The ruling King of Kandy at the time, King Rajasinghe II, retorted to the Dutch for help in rescuing his land from the Portuguese. Consequently, the Dutch conquered the area in 1659 but later declined to hand the town back to the king and instead built a fort completed in 1676. Kalpitiya was a strategically prominent location for the Dutch to control the outside trade of the Kingdom of Kandy. Here, 350 meters from their fort, they built a little church.
When the British occupied the island at the end of the 18th century, the Dutch withdrew to Colombo. The British found the fort evacuated save for one Dutch administrative officer, who surrendered to them. Services at the church were closed, and Anglican missionaries subsequently used the building. The church was restored around 1840, and the belfry is the original one. The Archeological Department of Sri Lanka managed the church until 2010 when it was given to the Dutch Reformed Church.
The formation of the church is almost modest. Yet, the several exciting features are the markers on the floor with various impressions and inscriptions to view.