Dutch Reformed Church

The oldest building within the fort is the Dutch Reformatory church, which is situated near the entrance. It was built by the Dutch in 1706., the date however etched above the entrance, 1767, refers to the reconstruction of the church by the Dutch following the Matara Freedom Fight. The door and window panels are made of heavy wood while the walls now show signs of crumbling as the proper mixture to rebuild them could not be found within Sri Lanka. Inside are gravestones on the floor dating back to 1686, of significant community members and beneficiaries of their time. There is an evidence of greater antiquity in the gravestones, which paves the floor of the church. The oldest of the gravestones is of Barbara Jongeling, the wife of Lambert Lambertijn, the medical officer of the station in 1686.