Built by the Dutch along classical lines in the 1790s, St Mary’s Cathedral is astonishingly large, but it’s curious to see corrugated-iron roofing held up by such a masterpiece of wooden vaulting. It's the main church for Roman Catholics.
St Mary’s Cathedral
Jaffna
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.06 MILES
Long the gatehouse of the city, the vast Jaffna fort, overlooking the Jaffna lagoon, has been fought over for centuries. Today you can wander its walls,…
1.34 MILES
This huge Hindu temple, crowned by a towering god-encrusted, golden-ochre gopuram, is one of the most significant Hindu religious complexes in Sri Lanka…
10.92 MILES
This spring is a beautiful little spot: the men’s side has a picturesque stepped pool of bright aquamarine water set against the ocean, while the women…
19.14 MILES
A small dirt road runs for 3.1km off the B371 to this lovely beach. There are a few fishing boats, some palm trees and not much else on the sand. The…
1.65 MILES
The provenance of this Jaffna Kingdom relic is fairly secure. This archway is thought to be one of the palace’s original entrances. Among its weathered…
0.87 MILES
Tellingly, one of the first major buildings to be rebuilt after the 2002 ceasefire was Jaffna's Public Library. It had been burnt down by pro-government…
0.82 MILES
An architectural curiosity, the spindly Clock Tower has a Moorish domed top, which makes it look like it belongs somewhere in North Africa. It was erected…
6.02 MILES
Some 1km via a squiggle of lanes south of the B380 is the beautiful and mysterious Kantarodai Ruins – two dozen or so dagobas, 1m to 2m in height, in a…
Nearby Jaffna attractions
0.44 MILES
This is the grandest church in Jaffna, a classical Italianate edifice used by Anglicans that dates to 1827.
0.48 MILES
A grand expanse of grass with very old, huge shade trees, first laid out by the British in 1829. Besides a playground and the cute Dora Cafe, it has the…
0.58 MILES
This unusual structure looks like a whitewashed version of a Gloucestershire village church.
0.77 MILES
An elegant modern park with impressive fountains. It reopened in 2010 after war damage was repaired. It has a fun children's play area.
0.82 MILES
An architectural curiosity, the spindly Clock Tower has a Moorish domed top, which makes it look like it belongs somewhere in North Africa. It was erected…
0.87 MILES
Tellingly, one of the first major buildings to be rebuilt after the 2002 ceasefire was Jaffna's Public Library. It had been burnt down by pro-government…
7. Sri Nagavihara International Buddhist Centre
0.9 MILES
The solitary Sri Nagavihara International Buddhist Centre was quickly rebuilt after government forces retook Jaffna in 1995.
8. Jaffna Archaeological Museum
0.91 MILES
This small, unkempt but interesting museum is hidden away at the end of a messy garden behind a concrete events hall. At the door are a pair of rusty…