HOLY CROSS NATIONAL SHRINE (KURUSA PALLIYA)

The Holy Cross Shrine, called " Kurusa Palliya " in Sinhala or " Holy Cross National Shrine " in English, was built in the 1920s by a French priest, Ferdinand Thiri, whose grave is here. This place of worship receives since 1947 many pilgrims. 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 of Christ, surrounded by a simple wooden frame topped with a cross. This structure is open on the sides and has a sandy floor.

At the time, a serious skin disease was affecting the people of the area. A mother whose son was afflicted with 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 come to believe in the miraculous healing powers of the Holy Cross and have flocked to the site. Outside of services, especially on Fridays, the twenty meters or so that separate the entrance from the altar are walked by devotees on their knees. Every September 14, the day of the Holy Cross, an estimated 150,000 pilgrims flock to the statue of Christ. Along with the Church of St. Anne of Talawilla, it is one of the great places of Catholic pilgrimage in the country.