Suffragan diocese Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Diocese of Anuradhapura
Anuradhapuren(sis)
Latin Church
Latin diocese in north-central Sri Lanka, elevated to a full diocese in 1982 from territory of the Diocese of Jaffna and the Diocese of Trincomalee-Batticaloa, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Colombo. Its cathedral is St. Joseph's Cathedral in Anuradhapura; Bishop Don Nishantha Sagara Jayamanne was appointed on 16 December 2025 after Bishop Norbert Andradi's retirement.
On the map
Every see on one map: browse the dioceses. Churches with recorded hours: find Mass times.
- Established
- 1982
- Catholics
- 12,703
- Priests
- 17
- Territory
- 10,727 km²
Parishes and churches
1 listed church in our records. Open a parish for Mass times, confession, directions and sources where recorded.
This is our recorded coverage, not an official diocesan parish count. Confirm service times with the parish before travelling.
The bishop
- Bishop
- Don Nishantha Sagara Jayamanne, S.S.S.
Explore the ministry of the bishop.
The cathedral
St. Joseph's Cathedral, Anuradhapura stands in Anuradhapura, the church that holds the cathedra from which this see takes its name.
On what a cathedral is, see the cathedral; every see church on earth is gathered at the cathedrals.
History
Catholic life in this corner of Sri Lanka was first organized as the apostolic prefecture of Anuradhapura, carved from territory belonging to the Diocese of Jaffna and the Diocese of Trincomalee-Batticaloa. In 1982 the prefecture was raised to a full diocese (Lat: Dioecesis Anuradhapurensis) of the Latin Church, suffragan to the Archdiocese of Colombo. Norbert Marshall Andradi has led it as bishop since his appointment in 2003. Its cathedral, St. Joseph's, may be the oldest church in Sri Lanka: the Portuguese missionary Pedro de la Fonseca founded it in 1544, though the building that stands today dates from 1845.