The four hundred year old church of Our Lady of the Gate of Heaven, Telheiras in the suburb of Lisborn was originally built by Dom Joao as the Black Prince, the last male heir of the old Kancyan Dynasty. The Black Prince's ancestry can be traced back to the fail of the Kotte kingdom and the emergence of the Kandyan kingdom. He was the son of Yamasinha Bandara who was placed on the throne of the Kandyan kingdom in 1592 by the POrtuguese. After Yamasinha's sudden death his 12 year-old son, Dom Joao, was proclaimed as the king. But due to political instability in the Kandyan Kingdom, he was forced to leave the Kingdom and seek protection from the Portuguese in Colombo. He was entrusted to the care of the Portuguese Franciscan Missionaries. Subsequently, Dom Joao was send to Goa, Where he lived for fifteen years. He was later ordained as a sub deacon priest, and was called to Lisbon and finally settled down at Telheirs. Around 1625 he built this church and convent in appreciation of what the Franciscans had done for him.