Church of the Good Shepherd

Originally built by a South Indian missionary couple in 1875, ‘The Church of the Good Shepherd’ served the spiritual needs of the plantation community of Niyagama, a remote village deep down south, approximately 32 km from its closest town, Elpitiya. This 145 year old church has aged due to prolonged period and poor maintenance.This dilapidated church required a new structure to accommodate the growing community. The impoverished parish appealed to churches in Colombo for funding. With the limited funds gathered, along with funding by the Diocese, the church was re-built in the year 2021. The low-cost church was rebuilt with architectural elements inclusive of a simple gable roof with exposed brick, steel portal, colored asbestos sheets with ordinary cement floor. The chosen materials were locally sourced, and the utilized mediums were called-for, with the matter of the cost of the reconstruction to be kept at a minimum, and to ensure that the church’s maintenance was at ease for the community.