Shrine of the Korean Martyrs

Korean Martyrs Sanctuary; in the foreground the museum building, in the back left the rotunda above the altar of the pilgrimage church

The shrine of the Korean martyrs in Jeoldusan in the Mapo-gu district of the South Korean capital Seoul is a memorial and pilgrimage site . The ensemble of pilgrimage church , museum and meeting rooms built in 1966/67 is dedicated to the memory of the Roman Catholic martyrs of Korea. The church is a Catholic national shrine .

history

There have been several waves of persecution since the dawn of Korean Catholicism in the 18th century. The most casualty was triggered in 1866 by the penetration of French warships into the Han River . The regent Heungseon Daewongun designated a rocky river bank at a ferry pier as the public place of execution, since then called Jeoldu-san ("beheading mountain "). Of the several thousand men and women executed there up to 1876, only a good thirty names are documented.

As early as 1925, Andreas Kim Taegon , Paul Chong Hasang and a further 77 martyrs of the persecution from 1838–1846 were beatified ; In 1968, 24 victims of persecution from 1866 to 1876 were beatified. All 103 were canonized on May 6, 1984 by Pope John Paul II during a mass in Yeouido Square in Seoul .

building

The church and memorial to the famous and unknown martyrs of Korea at the Jeoldusan execution site were built exactly one hundred years after the last wave of persecution began. The museum wing and church are connected to one another in a staggered manner. The altar faces the river bank, in its semicircular back wall, continued upwards in a rotunda , 28 martyrs' graves are set.

The memorial includes an outdoor area with historical objects and sculptures.

Individual evidence

^ Persecution of the Catholic Church in Korea ; with a differentiated presentation of the background (English)
↑ Address of the Pope (English) - The square, redesigned into a park between 1997 and 1999, is located on the river bank opposite the memorial.

Web links

Commons : Sanctuary of Korean Martyrs - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Sanctuary web presence (Korean)
Image of the church on the cliff from the west
Korean Martyrs Museum-Shrine reopens in Seoul (catholicnewsagency.com, September 15, 2009)

37.54419 126.91172Coordinates: 37 ° 32 ′ 39.1 ″ N , 126 ° 54 ′ 42.2 ″ E

[1] Persecution of the Catholic Church in Korea ; with a differentiated presentation of the background (English)

[2] Address of the Pope (English) - The square, redesigned into a park between 1997 and 1999, is located on the river bank opposite the memorial.