Charmed by ancient beauty

Daily Mirror – September 5, 2002

The story of this little brown church began even before World War I, when St. Andrew’s was another picturesque church on a hill, covered by the rising mists of Haputale. Most of its parishioners were well-to-do families of British and local planters.

The atmosphere of this little parish seemed timeless and peaceful then. Life flowed placidly in the little parish scattered with many happy weddings and christenings and a few melancholy funerals now and then.

The interior of the church is small but comfortable and well furnished. The pews and kneelers are richly laid with red velvet and leather to suit the blissful lifestyle of those bygone days. The sides of the pews are decorated with beautiful woodcarvings.

The pulpit and the confessional room too are richly laid with velvet and adorned with woodcarvings which belong to the Victorian architectural school.

The altar is surrounded by stained glass windows imported from Scotland and depict the significant events in the life of Jesus.

A small but tastefully done wood railing separates the altar from the other parts of the church. The pulpit still stands majestically with the Bible stand, which holds bibles two centuries old.

An ancient marble baptismal font, now rarely used, and which was brought down from England, stands at the end of the church.

The walls of the church tell the story of changing times.

They tell of an era of war, death, bloodshed and hurt caused by the loss of loved ones.

Most of the tablets on the church wall were erected in honour of planters who lost their lives during World War I while some were erected in honour of parishioners who lost their lives while crossing the seven seas towards England on a journey homewards.

A few lately established tablets tell the story of lives lost through play and folly in the happy years of reconstruction and hopes for the dawn of independence in 1947, when several carefree youth were drowned while sea bathing at Mount Lavinia.

During both World Wars, the little brown church saw the fall and burial of most of its parishioners. The dire funeral ceremonies then outnumbered the gay and breezy baptisms and weddings.

After the granting of independence to Sri Lanka, most of the parishioners returned to their motherland, leaving little-England to face a tragic death.

They left behind their dead in the burial grounds of St. Andrews. Yet, here they rest undisturbed, guarded by the weeping willows and pines. Walking through the cemetery of St. Andrew’s the tombstones hide many untold, tragic stories of love, life and loss.

After Independence, the church faced numerous changes. The faces of parishioners changed rapidly and so did the faces of St. Andrew’s Church.

The faces of the rich planters disappeared while the number of middle class parishioners increased. The church does not have a priest in charge today but mass is said only on Sundays by a visiting priest to a gathering of 20-30 members.

Charmed by the delicate elegance and the serene beauty of the church, Christians from all over the country as well as abroad, come to St. Andrews to celebrate their weddings.

Children and descendants of colonial planters in Sri Lanka as well as Sri Lankans now living in foreign lands, inspired by tales of colonial Sri Lanka related to them by their ancestors, visit St. Andrew’s to get married.

On such days, the little brown church retains some of its original charm and beauty of the days of yore. But soon the visitors leave her lonely again, just like the colonial parishioners who did so more than 50 years back.

St. Andrew’s was a gift by the British government in Ceylon to the Church of Scotland for the benefit of Protestants and Christians of all other denominations.

An old church report states that the foundation stone of the church was laid on Wednesday April 7 in 1869, by the “Officer Administrative of the Government of Ceylon, Lieutenant General S.J. Hodgson in the presence of a large crowd.”

Construction of the small parish church was completed by the end of the same year and it was declared open for the use of the public on September 19, a Sunday, by revenue officer, G. Middleton, with the assistance of Rev. Joseph Bernart.

The report also states that Mr. Middleton spent a day at Nuwara Eliya before arriving in Haputale early on Sunday morning and then attended the inauguration function of St. Andrew’s. He stayed over at the Haputale Hotel in the Haputale pass, before returning to Colombo.