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Saint Peters Road, 10400, මොරටුව, களுத்துறை மாவட்டம், LK Sri Lanka
contacts phone: +94 112 658 606
larger map & directionsLatitude: 6.7673817, Longitude: 79.8866851
Fabian Schokman
::The Melville Priory is a Home for the elders managed and owned by the a sub-section of the Order of St. Benedict - the Benedictine sisters of Grace and Compassion. It is a quaint and peaceful place, with exuberant architecture and heavenly tranquility. As an architectural enthusiast it is never a waste to garner a chance to roam in these ancient hall-ways that have come into the possession of the Church and now serve as Homes for the elders. The House in question was the ancestral seat of the De Mel family of Moratuwa, and Melville is a disambiguation of the same family's surname. The story I heard from a resident Nun of the Priory, was that the last incumbent of the grand country house - the philanthropist Mr. V. Johannes De Mel, bequeathed the Estate to the Archbishop of Colombo through what is now known as, the 'Melville Mention'. The Archbishop then had the property gifted to the Benedictine Sisters of Our Lady of Grace and Compassion to open a private home for the sick and elderly. The interesting tale leaves room for doubt, as the same Johannes De Mel is celebrated as the founder of St. James' Church, Egoda Uyana and a dedicated communicant of the Church of Ceylon (Anglican Communion), making one wonder why his Last Will and Testament bequeathed land to the Archbishop of Colombo (Roman Catholic), and not the Lord Bishop of Colombo (Anglican Communion). Be history as it may, the Melville Home today stands in enduring grandeur to Victorian and Edwardian architecture, truly a sight to behold, and a landmark of truly exceptional and pristine endurance. The chapel, a more modern addition to the sprawling estate, somehow manages to merge into the beauty of the old; although a more Gothic edifice would have better suited my personal taste. The expansive gardens are still an elaborate testimony to the dedication of the Nuns not only to the care of the elderly but to the preservation of this monument of Colonial Ceylon.