6th century, known as the Anuradhapura cross plays a significant role in Christians in Sri Lanka.
Christians by region (1980–2000)
Total population
1,552,161 (2012)[1]
Founder
Thomas the Apostle
Regions with significant populations
Province
Western
752,993
North Western
300,367
Northern
204,005
Central
90,519
Eastern
80,801
Religions
Roman Catholicism
Anglicanism
Pentecostalism
Methodism
Languages
Sinhala
Tamil
English
Christianity by country
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Ivory Coast
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Asia
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei
Cambodia
China
East Timor
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kazakhstan
Korea
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Macau
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
North Korea
Pakistan
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Middle East
Bahrain
Cyprus
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Palestine
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Europe
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Jersey
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
North America
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Canada
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
United States
Oceania
Australia
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
New Zealand
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
South America
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Christianity portal
v
t
e
Christianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka. It was introduced to the island in first century.[2] Traditionally, after Thomas the Apostle's visit in Kerala in AD 52, Christianity is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka because of its close geographical and commercial ties.[3][4]
Records suggest that St. Thomas Christians and Nestorian Christians lived in Sri Lanka,[5] and the Anuradhapura cross is one of the archaeological finds that suggest Christianity in Sri Lanka before the[6] arrival of the Portuguese.[7][8] Nestorian Christianity is said to have thrived in Sri Lanka with the patronage of King Dathusena during the 5th century. There are mentions of involvement of Persian Christians with the Sri Lankan royal family during the Sigiriya Period. Over seventy-five ships carrying Murundi soldiers from Mangalore are said to have arrived in the Sri Lankan town of Chilaw most of whom were Christians. King Dathusena's daughter was married to his nephew Migara who is also said to have been a Nestorian Christian, and a commander of the Sinhalese army. Maga Brahmana, a christian priest of Persian origin is said to have provided advice to King Dathusena on establishing his palace on the Sigiriya Rock.[9]
The Anuradhapura Cross discovered in 1912 is also considered to be an indication of a strong Nestorian Christian presence in Sri Lanka between the 3rd and 10th century in the then capital of Anuradhapura of Sri Lanka.[9][10][11][12]
There were also conversions by the Dutch in the 17th century.
The Christian population of Sri Lanka includes members of Burghers, Sinhalese and Tamil ethnic groups.[13]
^"Population by religion and district, Census 1981, 2001, 2012" (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
^"A Brief History Of Christianity In Sri Lanka". 20 September 2013.
^Aprem, Mar. "Early Christianity in Sri Lanka and India and Issues of Identity". Assyrian International News Agency. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
^Hattaway, Paul (2004). Peoples of the Buddhist World: A Christian Prayer Diary. William Carey Library. ISBN 978-0-87808-361-9. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
^Pinto, Leonard (20 September 2013). "A Brief History Of Christianity In Sri Lanka". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
^"The Forgotten Christian World". History Today. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
^"Mar Aprem Metropolitan Visits Ancient Anuradhapura Cross in Official Trip to Sri Lanka". Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
^Weerakoon, Rajitha. "Did Christianity exist in ancient Sri Lanka?". Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). Retrieved 26 February 2015.
^ abPinto, Leonard (14 July 2015). Being a Christian in Sri Lanka: Historical, Political, Social, and Religious Considerations. Balboa Publishers. pp. 55–57. ISBN 978-1452528632.
^"Mar Aprem Metropolitan Visits Ancient Anuradhapura Cross in Official Trip to Sri Lanka". Assyrian Church News. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
^Weerakoon, Rajitha (26 June 2011). "Did Christianity exist in ancient Sri Lanka?". Sunday Times. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
^"Main interest". Daily News. 22 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
^"Christians in Sri Lanka". 16 October 2023.
and 25 Related for: Christianity in Sri Lanka information
Christianity is a minority religion inSriLanka. It was introduced to the island in first century. Traditionally, after Thomas the Apostle's visit in...
SriLanka is officially a Buddhist country, while SriLankans practice a variety of religions. As of the 2012 census, 70.2% of SriLankans were Buddhists...
Easter Sunday, three churches inSriLanka and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital, Colombo, were targeted in a series of coordinated ISIS-related...
The history of SriLanka is unique because its relevance and richness extend beyond the areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. The...
The Catholic Church inSriLanka is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. The country comes under...
The SriLankan Ordinary Level (O-level) is a General Certificate of Education (GCE) qualification inSriLanka, conducted by the Department of Examinations...
as Colombo Chetties, are an ethnicity in the island of SriLanka. Before 2001, they were known as the SriLankan Tamil ( ශ්රී ලංකා දෙමළ) caste, but then...
Indic text in this article correctly. SriLanka, historically known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of SriLanka, is an island...
SriLankan Vellalar (Tamil: இலங்கை வெள்ளாளர், lit. 'Ilaṅkai veḷḷāḷar') is a caste inSriLanka, predominantly found in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent...
This is a demography of the population of SriLanka including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the population, economic status...
largest and official religion of SriLanka, practiced by 70.2% of the population as of 2012. Practitioners of SriLankan Buddhism can be found amongst the...
island state of SriLanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, form the plurality in the Eastern Province and are in the minority...
SriLankan Australians (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලාංකික ඕස්ට්රේලියානුවන්, Tamil: இலங்கை ஆஸ்திரேலியர்கள்) are people of SriLankan heritage living in Australia;...
The SriLankan diaspora are SriLankan emigrants and expatriates from SriLanka, and their descendants, that reside in a foreign country. They number a...
transgender (LGBT) people inSriLanka face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Article 365 of the SriLankan Penal Code, which dates...
Indian Tamils of SriLanka are Tamil people of Indian origin inSriLanka. They are also known as Malayaga Tamilar, Hill Country Tamils, Up-Country Tamils...
ancient symbol of ChristianityinSriLanka. The cross was discovered in 1912 during archaeological excavations in Anuradhapura. It is cut in sunk relief on...
The SriLankan Telugus are an ethnic group from SriLanka who trace their origins to Telugu-speaking regions centuries ago. They are commonly known in English...
Anuradhapura Cross discovered inSriLanka strongly suggests a strong presence of Nestorian ChristianityinSriLanka during the 6th century AD according...
The SriLankan Tamil diaspora refers to the global diaspora of SriLankan Tamil origin. It can be said to be a subset of the larger SriLankan and Tamil...
of SriLanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, the Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the...