Why is Negombo called Little Rome.

Negombo is famously called Little Rome because it holds the highest concentration of Catholics in Sri Lanka. During the 16th century, the Portuguese heavily colonized this specific coastal town to control the lucrative cinnamon trade. They aggressively converted the local fishing communities to Catholicism. Today, the legacy remains visible through the dozens of massive, incredibly ornate churches like St Sebastians and St Marys that dominate the city skyline, making it feel very different from the Buddhist majority towns.