The Dutch Reformed ChurchWhen the Dutch came to Sri Lanka, they brought their church with them. This Protestant institution was known as the ‘Dutch Reformed Church’. It built churches in cities and villages all over the island, these also functioned as protestant schools, led by often local schoolmasters. In these schools children were taught reading and writing in their vernacular, on the basis of Reformed texts. did not only build churches in Colombo and Galle, but also in forts like Negombo. Aside from fort churches, there were also schools and churches outside of the forts, in the villages around the city. These were meant for the local population, but the buildings do not exist anymore. Negombo knew a lively Catholic population in the 18th century, and this is still the case today.