It is the primary Anglican cathedral, affiliated to the Church of Ceylon.

[1] The decision to build the Anglican cathedral in Colombo, to replace the old cathedral in Mutwal, was initiated by Bishop Harold de Soysa, the first Ceylonese Anglican Bishop of Colombo.

[1][4][5] The foundation stone for the cathedral was laid on 28 October 1968 by Bishop de Soysa, who died in 1971 before its completion.

[2][6] The construction was subsequently overseen by his successor, Bishop Cyril Abeynaike, whose ideas were incorporated into some of the church's features.

The cathedral is based on the traditional style of Sri Lanka architecture, in this case the hexagonal form of a Buddhist temple, using modern concrete technology.