Sangju Cheongri Confession of Faith Monument

Overview

The Sangju Confession of Faith Monument is a monument on which Kim Sam-rok Domenico carved his faith into the rock below Seokdansan Mountain in Samgoe-ri, Cheongni-myeon, Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and it is introduced as the only confession-of-faith monument in the Korean Church. It is a shrine and historic site of the Andong Diocese of the Catholic Church and is administered by Oksan Church. In 2009 it was designated as No. 562 Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Properties Material, and it is now Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Heritage Material.

History

In Samgoe 2-ri, Cheongni-myeon, it is said that the 4 sons of Kim Bok-un of the Gimhae Kim clan had believed in Catholicism since before the Byeongin Persecution of 1866. Among them, the second son Kim Sam-rok (Domenico) was firm in faith, wandered to escape persecution during the Byeongin Persecution, and kept his faith to the end. Good News reports that after being freed from official persecution by the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between Korea and France of 1886, he carved prayers for the Lord, the Pope, bishops, priests and fellow believers into the rock. The Digital Encyclopedia of Sangju Culture records that he returned to his hometown and erected the monument around 1894 to 1900.

After erecting the monument, Kim Sam-rok planted many trees in front of it to keep it from standing out, in order to avoid persecution. After liberation in 1945, his grandson Kim Sun-gyeong cut down the trees and cleared the front of the monument. In 1982 the then Seomundong Parish priest met Kim Sun-gyeong’s second son and heard the story, which first made it known to the Church, and in 1984 it was historically verified as a historic site together with a field survey by Father Oh Gi-seon of the Archdiocese of Seoul.

In the 1980s, the Andong Diocese and Namseong-dong Church began purchasing surrounding land to develop the Church historic site. In 1999 sanctuarization was promoted through the dedication of then Oksan Church Father Shin Gi-ryong, the parish council, and the president of the Cheongni Catholic mission chapel, and a large cross and altar, the Stations of the Cross, and a commemorative sculpture symbolizing the Great Jubilee of 2000 were installed.

This monument was designated in December 2009 as No. 562 Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Properties Material. According to the Digital Encyclopedia of Sangju Culture, on November 19, 2021 its designation number was removed by the public notice of the Enforcement Decree of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act and it became Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Properties Material, and on May 17, 2024, with the enforcement of the Framework Act on National Heritage, it became Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Heritage Material.

Architecture and Space

The monument was carved from a single piece of granite into a rectangular stele body with a cross shape, set upright and topped with a round cap-like form. Its size is, by the standard of the Digital Encyclopedia of Sangju Culture, 127 cm in height, 40 cm in width and 22 cm in thickness.

The inscription begins with the Sign of the Cross of the Holy Catholic Church, lists five items declaring reverent service to the Lord, the Pope, bishops, priests and the faithful, states that it was offered by the believer Kim Domyeonggo (Domenico), and reveals that he was born in the Gyemyo year (1843) and that his ancestral seat was Bunseong (Gimhae).

Related Places and Figures

• Kim Sam-rok Domenico: the person who erected the monument. The Digital Encyclopedia of Sangju Culture gives 1843–1935.
• Oksan Church: the parish that administers the shrine

References and Sources

1. Catholic information Good News, Shrines and Historic Sites “Confession of Faith Monument (Oksan Church)”. Confirms Kim Sam-rok’s faith, the process of verifying the monument, the sanctuarization of 1999 and the designation as Cultural Properties Material of 2009.
   https://app.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2348
2. Digital Encyclopedia of Sangju Culture, “Sangju Catholic Confession of Faith Monument”. Confirms the time of erection, dimensions, inscription and the process of designation changes.
   https://sangju.grandculture.net/sangju/toc/GC09100666