The Chronological development of baptismal fonts in urban churches in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Baptism is the act of ceremonial cleansing by which a person becomes a member of a Christian church. Although baptism could occur anywhere, the special place for baptism, either a freestanding building or smaller font, is a significant element of every communal church. Therefore, the baptistery or baptismal font has become an ordinary piece of furniture in many Christian churches practicing non-immersive methods, such as sprinkling or pouring of water. The simplest of these fonts have a stone, metal, or wooden pedestal, with a holder that could accommodate different shapes of water basins. Despite their smaller size, baptismal fonts often intermingle with prevailing architectural characters of an urban landscape. For instance, the signs and symbols prevalent in the baptismal fonts of most Anglican churches in Colombo mostly follow Gothic Revival architectural precedents. The relevant modern historiographical sources on the 19th and 20th-century urban architecture in Sri Lanka reveal that no systematic study on this significant aspect of church architecture has been conducted so far. Therefore, the main objective of this technical report was to record and analyze the chronological development of architectural characters as well as the current condition and state of preservation of 19th and 20th century Baptismal Fonts in urban churches in Colombo and its suburbs. Under this documentation project, the decorations and motives from the most representative Christian churches from different religious denominations have been systematically recorded as per their chronological development. Architectural measured drawings and graphical data were documented in parallel to understand the integration of the prevailing architectural character of buildings. Further, this documentation can be extended as a record for posterity and a primary tool for conservation and restoration. It can be used to communicate the architectural significance and heritage of surviving baptismal fonts not only to design and conservation professionals but to the public at large.