| Holy Trinity Chapel | |
|---|---|
| Holy Trinity Chapel of Trinity College, Kandy. | |
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 Holy Trinity Chapel | |
| 7°18′01″N80°38′18″E / 7.30035°N 80.63829°E /7.30035; 80.63829 | |
| Location | Kandy |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Language | English |
| Denomination | Church of Ceylon |
| Religious order | Anglicanism |
| Churchmanship | Central churchmanship |
| Website | trinitycollege |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | Holy Trinity |
| Dedicated | 3 March 1935; 90 years ago (1935-03-03) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active Collegiate Chapel |
| Architect | Lewis John Gaster |
| Architectural type | Chapel |
| Style | Traditional Sinhalese |
| Groundbreaking | 1922; 103 years ago (1922) |
| Administration | |
| Metropolis | Church of England |
| Diocese | Diocese of Kurunegala |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Justin Welby |
| Bishop | Keerthisiri Fernando |
| Chaplain | Shelton Daniel |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Lasantha Tennekoon |
| Organist | Sadhana Madasekara |
| Music group | Choir of Trinity College, Kandy |
TheTrinity College Chapel ("Holy Trinity Church") inKandy, Sri Lanka is one of the more distinctivechurch buildings in Sri Lanka. It is situated below the Principal's bungalow atTrinity College, Kandy. The chapel is one of the first and finest examples of the application ofindigenous architecture in the design of an Anglican church in the country.[1] The building is modelled on traditionalBuddhist architecture,[2][3] reminiscent of those found inPolonnaruwa, an ancient capital of Sri Lanka, in that it is an open building with a lofty hipped roof supported by numerous carved stone pillars.[4]
In 1918 the school principal ofTrinity College,Alexander Garden Fraser (1873-1962)[5] commenced planning for the construction of a chapel, identifying a site within the school grounds.[6] Fraser was the principal of Trinity College between 1904 and 1924. He played a pivotal role in the development of Trinity College from a small provincial school to a national college. The vice principal, Lewis John Gaster (1879-1939), who joined the school in 1910,[7] a qualified architect and draughtsman, prepared the plans for the chapel.[6] Gaster went on to become the principal atKing's College inUganda.[8]
The foundation stone was laid byFoss Westcott, theMetropolitan of India, Burma and Ceylon on 19 August 1922, as part of the school's fiftieth-anniversary celebrations. The original foundation stone of the chapel was laid in front of the main hall, where the car park now stands and was later moved to the outside wall of the chapel, where it can still be seen today.
The construction of the chapel, which commenced in early 1923 and took over twelve years to complete, was overseen by staff members, K. L. B. Tennekoon[9] and H. W. Mediwake.[10]
During construction, nearly 100 craftsmen and labourers were employed. In 1929 the side chapel was the first section to be completed.David Paynter,OBE (1900-1975),[11] a staff member of the college painted the first mural on the southern wall of the side chapel in 1928.[6] In 1930 the side chapel was dedicated as the "Chapel of the Light of the World".[6]
Following the completion of the side chapel, the main chapel and the sanctuary were constructed. These works were completed in 1933 upon which Paynter painted a further mural above the main altar.[6]
The chapel was formally dedicated on 3 March 1935.[6]
In 1954 the original corrugated zinc roof sheets were replaced withcalicut tiles, during the course of the re-roofing the murals above the pulpit and lectern were badly damaged. Paynter subsequently repainted these murals, completing the work in 1957.
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At the time when most Europeans were content to build churches in their ownGothic style, Gaster deliberately sought inspiration from the local Sinhalese architecture. Prototypes for the Church are to be found at the RoyalAudience Hall,Magul Maduwa (Celebration Hall), of theKingdom of Kandy[12] (built in 1783 bySri Rajadhi Rajasinha) and the 14th centuryEmbekka Devalaya Shrine near Kandy.[13] The first example of the use of traditional architectural design in Christian churches, also involved both Rev. Fraser and Rev. Gaster was the chapel at thePeradeniya Training Colony,[14] however similar to theMagul Maduwa and the Embekka Shrine the pillars of this chapel are made of wood.
The creation of the stone pillars was supervised by K. L. Siripala, a famousstonemason of the time, to be shaped and carved. Other stone carvers were also brought to Sri Lanka, especially for the purpose of carving the pillars for the chapel. The carvings on the windows of the side of the chapel were done by local craftsmen.
The fifty-four pillars are made of granite quarried inAruppola, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away.[10] Some, in the chancel, are built-in sections, but most have been hewn out of single blocks (5.5 metres (18 ft) long and 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) square), each of which weighing about 3 metric tons (3.0 t) before carving. The blocks were then hauled up to the college on a trolley by a pair ofelephants.[10] The first pillars to be erected, those by thepulpit and the south entrance, were fully carved at the quarry before being transported. The remainder were carved at the site of the chapel.
Each pillar is 4.9 metres (16 ft) in height and 0.6 metres (2.0 ft) square, they are square-based and square capped, with a gently tapering stem, octagonal in shape.[10] Four of the pillars at the northern entrance carry carvings of the 'four beasts' of Revelation.[10] The pillars are surmounted by fourpekadas, made of a tough local wood called Gummalu. Each pekada, designed by Bezalel Navaratne, when viewed from below, has been carved to represent an invertedlotus.[10] Many of the beams which the pillars support were also carved by local craftsman. Thecapitals on ten of the pillars facing thenave are carved with the coats of arms of following British schools and colleges, which made financial donations towards the cost of the chapel:[15]Balliol College, Oxford,Eton College,Marlborough College,Hertford College, Oxford,New College, Oxford,Wellington College, Berkshire,Rossall School,Winchester College,Repton School,Dulwich College.
The roof of the chapel is in the style of a traditional Kandy-style double-pitched roof.[16][17] It starts at a height of 6 metres (20 ft) and peaks at a height of 16.75 metres (55.0 ft) above the central aisle. The chapel was originally roofed in corrugated zinc roof sheets but these were replaced in 1954 with calicut tiles.
The side chapel, entered from the northtransept, was named by the then principal, Rev. McLeod Campbell as "the Chapel of the Light of the World". It was the first part of the chapel to be completed and was formally dedicated on 23 March 1930.
The door and frame are typical Kandyan work. The whole of the south wall of this chapel is covered with an early painting by David Paynter depicting the Mother of James and John making a request to Jesus on behalf of her two sons. The chapel is rich in stone and wood carving. The screen and the grape and the chalice design on the altar were both made by local craftsmen from the original drawings by Gaster. The windows are typical Kandyan, the vertical bars are made of wood and painted with lacquer. The grill on the east was carved locally from a slab of Swedish green marble, like the grills on the sanctuary of the main chapel.
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The four murals were the work of the Sri Lankan artistDavid Paynter, once a member of the staff. Like the chapel itself, they were revolutionary when conceived, in that they portrayedbiblical stories aSri Lankan setting.[18]
Construction of the bell tower commenced in 1965, with the donation of ten slabs by Barney Raymond, an Old Boy.[10] The tower was dedicated on the 8 December 1969, in memory ofRev. Cannon John McLeod Campbell, by Rev.Lakdasa De Mel, the firstBishop of Kurunegala. The bell was received from a parish church inHemsby in 1971.
Weekly devotions of students at Trinity College during school term, and services on Sunday mornings are held at the chapel. It is also well known for the musical events held there.Nine Lessons and Carols[21][22] inAdvent, andThe Cross & Triumph of Christ[23] inLent by theTrinity College choir and other events[10][24][25] are held during the year.
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