MARAWILA SHRINE OF THE CROSS

Get off at Marawila Town on Puttalam-Colombo Road and walk a short distance towards Chilaw There is a road on the left hand side at Marawila Fourth Junction About a mile and a half from there you can see the Church of the Cross..The text in front of the church is in Latin..It means you win with this sign.This is the English meaning of this in this sign u will conquer .

At the time s serious skin disease was affecting the inhabitants of the area.A mother whoes son was suffering from this disease had a vision at the foot of the cross . She washed the feet of christ and then bathed her sick child in the same water.The next day,the child was healed and she spread the news to the community .Since then buddhist hindu and catholic believers have firmly believed in the miraculous healing powers of the Horly cross and have flocked to the place.

This is a church, but before that there was a statue of Jesus crucified.People are kneeling in front of the statue.Later the church was built around this statue.As we enter the shrine we step on a smooth sandy ground..Not a tile or cement floor..Only in the middle of the shrine is there a strip of cement paved with sand on both sides.There are no seats or benches to sit on.Like most churches, large churches are not divided into smaller churches.Behind the altar of the small church, which is built as a single hall, is a large statue of the crucified Jesus Christ.On either side of the shrine is a tomb with various tombs.Horly cross national shrine in English was built in the 1920 by a french priest ,Ferdinand thiri,whoes grave is here.This place worship has been recieving many pilgrims since 1947.Next to the cemetery which is almost an integral part of the place,the small catholic church consists of the tomb of the priest Thiri,with an altar and a statue ot Christ.
It is not a problem to ask God for relief from various problems in life.This is further illustrated by the fact that devotees from all over the island visit this shrine daily without any delay.Behind the church is the beautiful Marawila beach on the Chilaw beach known as the Pearl Class.Jesus Christ, the familiar symbol of many churches in general, is depicted with his face covered in pain and horror in the crucifixion statues, and his eyes are designed to be closed.But the image of Jesus here shows that he looks at the world with tenderness and compassion.

Outside of services especially on fridays,the twenty meeters or so that separate the entrance from the altar are walked by devotees on their knees.

The annual feast of the Marawila Cross Church is held in September.Every september 14 the day of the horly cross an estimated 150,000 pilgrims flock to the statue of christ.Along with the church of St.Anne Taalwilla.Many devotees who visit the Marawila Cross Church do not forget to see the statue of the Mother of God on the beach.