Name: St. Anne's National Shrine - Thalawila | සා. ආනා ජාතික සිද්ධස්ථානය - තලවිල
Address: Talawila Road, Sri Lanka, LK
Telephone: +94 322 261 000

St. Anne's National Shrine - Thalawila | සා. ආනා ජාතික සිද්ධස්ථානය - තලවිල is a tourist attraction, located at Talawila Road, Sri Lanka. They can be contacted via phone at +94 322 261 000 for more detailed information.

Location :

Talawila Road

Contacts :

Added by Jopie, at 20 June 2016

Monday 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Thursday 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Friday 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday 6:00 AM – 8:30 PM

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Achini Wijesekara

27 October 2019

Holy shrine for Catholics. Many non-Catholics too visit this Shrine for praying for good health and wellness. Calm environment. Pretty scenic trees everywhere in the Church premises.
If you visit this place, don't expect clean and proper washrooms.
ShutterART Photography Magazine

28 September 2019

Amazing place with great history. One of most famous and holiness place of christians. Great place to visit even your not christian.
Anoja Rodrigo

01 September 2019

Ancient church which has kept its glory for long duration of nearly a 300 years. This place is worshipped and visited by people of all religions in Sri Lanka due to its historical importance. The church is clean and tidy with good maintenance.
Amila Dilanka

15 August 2019

A really peaceful shrine. Famous among Catholics. Beautiful place. Right in front of the beach.
Nuwan Madurapperuma

06 August 2019

Its a secret place for christians. Very calm and quiet atmosphere. My wife got her name as 'Ann' after her parents made a vow to have their first child! This is a miraculous place where most of the pilgrims get what they wished for in faith.
Deeptha Perera

03 April 2019

One of the most sacred catholic shine in Sri Lanka I love this place so much..
Merril Antoney

12 March 2019

Very secret place where lot of miracles happens Normally two major feasts take place one in March and one in August..

Some parishes do also have their own time to visit this church.. Almost a camping experience and now hotels and rooms seems to be building up rapidly..

If you need a miracle to be happened.. go to this church..

I found some old pics, thought of uploading for you to see and feel how this church was those days and a pic to see how it is today..
Aife Khan

09 March 2019

No matter what religion you follow, St. Anne’s Church in Talawila is one of the most ancient and wonderful of all Christian shrines in Sri Lanka. Founded in the epicentre of tradition and holiness, thousands of pilgrims flock during the Christmas season, in March and August to this amazing place of solitude and solace. Close to Kalpitiya, the St.Anne’s Church is easy to access with the roads in good condition and offering some stunning views of the Talawila Beach in peace.
Edwin AEC

07 March 2019

A best place to worship with family .
A greatest place for bring children and adults.
Christian Ratnayeke

07 March 2019

St Ann's church Thalawila is a National Shrine of Sri Lanka and very popular with all the religious groups in the island.highly holy worship site.But need to improve more facilities by the authorities.
Vincent Alvares

11 May 2018

Nice and well kept Shrine. Lots of Pilgrims visit here for worship and prayer.
Newly built Chapel is very beautiful.
Pls keep the Shrine Clean.
Ishara Vithana

07 May 2018

Every catholic or non catholic must visit this shrine. really amazing place. we had great blassing vist of St. Anne. really it was.
Shaluka Jayawardene

25 March 2018

The Thalawila church is dedicated to St. Anne, the mother of St. Mary, and is one of the oldest churches in the Sri Lanka. The main church festival is held annually on the 1st of August. It is located in Kalpitiya peninsula, lying between the Puttalam lake and the mighty Indian Ocean,
Sujani Hewakapuge

18 March 2018

thalwila church is very beautifull.i love st.anne mother very much and thank you my mother st.anne.
Dune Towers

11 March 2018

One of the most important christian churches in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the beach with big St. Annes statue directly on the beach facing the Indian Ocean. During some christian events, upto 80.000 visitors is coming here.
Amila Udara Ranasinghe

10 March 2018

A famous church in Sri Lanka that devoted to St. Anne (mother of St. Mary). Calm environment around the church.
Manusha De Silva

27 February 2018

Very famous church in Sri Lanka near to Kalpitiya. Lot of people come during the season and week ends.very near to beach.its sourounding with lot of trees.
Kelum Wijesooriya

31 January 2018

No matter what religion you follow, St. Anne’s Church in Talawila is one of the most ancient and wonderful of all Christian shrines in Sri Lanka. Founded in the epicentre of tradition and holiness, thousands of pilgrims flock during the Christmas season, in March and August to this amazing place of solitude and solace. Close to Kalpitiya, the St.Anne’s Church is easy to access with the roads in good condition and offering some stunning views of the Talawila Beach in peace.
There are two accounts of its origins in which the first one is about a European trader, traveling in a ship dedicated to St. Anne, was shipwrecked off the coast of Talawila in the early half of the 18th century. As the place where they landed wasn’t very hospitable, they sought a place to rest their aching limbs and souls. They spied a large banyan tree at a distance and they approached it with the statue of St. Anne which they had in their possession. This image, they placed in the tree with the captain of the ship vowing to return again and build a church if his business prospered. The European trader obviously met with success as he desired, and kept his word by building a church at the place where the statue of St. Anne stood in its glory.

The other account is that in the 17th century, a poor Portuguese man journeyed from Mannar to Colombo in order to seek a livelihood. However, he failed to do so and was returning by the coast, when he happened to fall asleep under a large tree at Talawila at the site of the present church. He dreamed that he saw an image at the foot of the tree, with lighted tapers burning on each side. Waking up from his sleep, he saw with astonishment that the image was actually there

In this confusion, he prayed loud and at that moment was suddenly dazed and awestruck by the ‘great awakening light’, which illumined the form of St. Anne herself. The mother of the Holy Virgin in her glorious presence stood before him and told that the image he had seen was intended as a representation of herself and that he should build a church there, christen it after her, and preserve in it the relic that had so graciously been revealed to him. Impressed and moved with this experience, the poor man set out to build a small Chapel
St. Anne appeared to him again and left him some gold coins which enabled him shortly to return to his country where he raised funds for the construction of a permanent church at Talawila. He then had a third vision of this beautiful saint, upon whose instructions he built a larger one in its place.

“The image” now exhibited in the church is said to be the identical statue discovered by the Portuguese man in the manner narrated here. In 1943, by some strange coincidence, exactly a hundred years after the erection of the present church, there appeared the hull of a wrecked vessel for which the present generation has no recollection whatever. The crowds of people who flocked to view it, in the pious belief that it was the vessel which had once borne the image of St. Anne, testify to the persistence off the tradition.
Nisal Perera

01 January 2018

Very historical place. Considered to be holy by most of Sri Lankans irrespective of religion
Kanishka Panagoda

29 December 2017

A very nice, historic place to visit. It's the first Catholic shrine in Srinagar Lanka.
Dilan Rathnayaka

27 December 2017

One of the most ancient christian shrine in sri lanka. There are two identified stories about origin of this place and folks started from 17/18th centuries. Stunning view. Very peaceful and calm in off season time and its too crowded in festival time. Doesnt matter your religion, but this place is love to visit.
Jasper Vervaert

22 November 2017

A very peaceful and inspiring place on the Puttalam peninsula. The combination of sea, beach and the church is wonderful. It's even implemented in the architecture of the beautiful chapel.
Madhusha Kumarasinghe

18 September 2017

It is very calm and bless full place
Viraj Muthugala

15 September 2017

Huge land area.. good place for a visit
Indika Kumra

04 September 2017

2017.09.01 we boarding this church.amazing place
Charitha Senarath

15 August 2017

It's very nice place and I like to go again
Ivan Roldan

15 February 2017

A place to experience miracles. Sand environment. Praise with silent environment.
SILVA ERA

04 February 2017

I love st.Anns god bless us Vincent karunanayake.from
Mutual Colombo.15
Heshan Senith

19 January 2017

Really good place and a best churches in srilanka you should visit here
Ranuk Wijesinghe

31 August 2016

A really beautiful church. Surroundings are so calm and peaceful. Washrooms aren't maintained well though.
Nipuna Fernando

27 June 2016

Good Saint Anne, you were especially favored by God to be the mother of the most holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Savior. By your power with your most pure daughter and with her divine Son, kindly obtain for us the grace and the favor we now seek

Amen !