St. Peter’s Church in Fort was originally a Dutch Governor’s residence and a meeting place for governors. It was converted into a Church during the British colonial era, and was consecrated for worship by Bishop Middleton on September 21, 1821, exactly 196 years ago.
The Vicar of St. Peter’s Church, Fort, Rev. Fr. Chrispas says, “Initially, St. Peter’s Church was a garrison Church and in those days soldiers would come and worship. People would also have their marriages and baptisms according to the Anglican tradition.
Many foreigners in Ceylon at the time of the British regime worshipped here. St. Peter’s Church, Fort was significant for foreigners during the British era, as well as for Sri Lankans. The personnel working in the British Royal Naval Force would come here to worship. Sometimes, people from foreign countries had their marriages here.
Their grandchildren have come here and asked to see their marriage certificates. Recently, a couple from England visited and showed me a very old picture of the Church.
This is where their grandparents married and they wanted to see the place.”
“This was the Church where the Bishop of England would come and meet the clergy. Those days, there was no Bishop in Ceylon, so the Bishop of Calcutta met the clergy in this Church on his visitation.
Those days, this road was open and it was called, Church Road and it still is. The first Archdeacon of Colombo celebrated most of the Eucharist here.
There was a large congregation those days and when the War started the entrance was restricted. Then, the strength of the congregation reduced. Now, we have only a small congregation but tourists and travellers still come, sit and worship here.”
A very significant aspect of the Church is that with all the rush in the Colombo Fort this is a very quiet place. The Vicar says, “People who are working in the Fort area come here to sit and pray. It is a calm and quiet place and they come and pray here before going to office.
Another very significant thing in St. Peter’s Church is the small altar on the right side of the Church. In the 1960s one of the sextons named Paul, who was sleeping there in the night had a dream, he had a vision that Jesus came and touched him.
He saw the appearance of Jesus. From the next day, he got a miraculous power of healing and started a prayer ministry.
This is a very ancient Church, and it is a place for prayer for anyone with problems and struggles. They believe that all their prayers will be answered by God. Weary travellers and tourists come here and sit and meditate. When the prayer ministry began in the Church it became very popular among Christians.
Even people belonging to other congregations and worshipping in different churches would come here for prayers. Many church goers even in the Protestant tradition who believed in prayer would come here.”
The Church has been constructed with limestone walls which cannot be painted. The Vicar says, the Church is undergoing renovations at the moment and they are preserving the old architectural style of the Church. He says, “All the fittings were imported in those days. We did not make any changes in the past because it has a significant history. Modern architecture does not match this Church.
The limestone cannot be replaced, but they are washable and mild chemicals can be used to remove the stains. We can’t change anything in the structure.”
St. Peter’s Church belongs to the Church of Ceylon and because it is an Anglican Church it is governed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in England.
The Vicar says, “When Queen Elizabeth visited Sri Lanka she visited this Church. And also, those days the bishops from Canterbury who came to Sri Lanka visited this Church. The High Commissioners of Britain would come for our main functions.
There is a very old British flag which is about 200 years old in the Church. We are still preserving it because it shows the links between Britain and St. Peter’s Church.”
The Vicar says, the current congregation consists of the faithful from Colombo and its suburbs.
“People who are visiting Sri Lanka and staying in hotels also come.
People who serve in the ships (docking at Colombo) also come for worship. On Wednesdays there is a short communion service between 12.30 p.m. and 1.00 p.m. for the working staff in the Fort area.
We have a communion service on Sundays at 10.30 a.m.. All the Church services are held in English. A lot of visitors, tourists and foreigners staying close by in the Fort area also come here for the Sunday morning service.”