Adisham Monastery
Adisham Hall, or Adisham Bungalow is a country house near Haputale, in the Badulla District, Sri Lanka. At present, it houses the Adisham monastery of Saint Benedict. It has a relic (a chip of a bone) of St. Sylvester at the chapel.[1]
The house was built in 1931 by an English aristocrat and planter Sir Thomas Villiers, former Chairman of George Steuart Co, a trading and estate agency based in Colombo. Sir Thomas was a grandson of Lord John Russell and descendant of the Dukes of Bedford. Named after Adisham, it was designed by R. Booth and F. Webster in Tudor and Jacobean style, on 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land. Adisham Hall played host to many prominent personalities of the colony until the retirement of Sir Thomas, after which it was sold to Sedawatte Mills owned by Vimala Wijewardene in 1949.[2] In 1961 it was purchased by the Roman Catholic Church and was subsequently converted to a monastery. The house is well preserved along with its period fittings and furniture, and is open to visitors.[3]
This beautiful Benedictine monastery once belonged to tea planter Sir Thomas Lester Villiers. To recreate his English lifestyle, he developed some English country-cottage gardens, which are still enchanting visitors today. Inside, visitors are allowed to see the living room and library, which is filled from floor to ceiling with dusty tomes. If you like the monastery so much you want to stay, well, you can, as there's a small guesthouse. No photography is permitted inside the building.
Sinhala video
English video
The monastery is about 3km west of Haputale. Follow Temple Rd along the ridge until you reach the sign at the Adisham turn off. A three-wheeler should cost Rs 600 return, including waiting time.
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