Holy Emmanuel Church, Hanguranketha

Holy Emmanuel Church (Sinhala: හඟුරන්කෙත ශුද්ධ එමානුවෙල් දේවස්ථානය) is an Anglican stone church, located in Hanguranketha. The church was constructed in 1886 by Charles Henry de Soysa and is one of the oldest churches in the district. It is located approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) south of the town centre, adjoining Hanguranketha C. C. Vidyalaya. In 1834 the Church Mission Society established a Christian missionary school in Hanguranketha, the school is now known as Hanguranketha C. C. Vidyalaya (Sinhala: හගුරන්කෙත සීසී විද්‍යාලය). In 1855, Reverend E. T. Higgins, a missionary and representative of the Diocese of Colombo, came to Haguranketha and proposed that a church be built near the school site. The land adjacent to the school was donated by the landowners, Mr. Gammuladani and Mr. Wijeratne. On 4 August 1880, Mudaliyar Susew de Soysa, the brother of Gate Mudaliyar Jeronis de Soysa, built a semi-permanent building, which was used for worshipping by the locals. Following his death in 1881, his nephew, Charles Henry de Soysa, donated sufficient funds to complete the construction of a permanent church building, which was furbished with an altar and wooden pews. Following de Soysa's death in 1890, his wife, Catherine, donated the funds to build and furnish a rectory, to house the church priest. The de Soysa family, whilst Buddhist, were well known for their philanthropic works in th

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