Ulsan Byeongyeong Martyrs' Shrine

Overview

The Ulsan Byeongyeong Martyrs’ Shrine is a shrine of the Diocese of Busan established on the site of the Byeongyeong command platform in Namoe-dong, Jung-gu, Ulsan Metropolitan City, and is a martyrdom site where many Catholic faithful were executed during the Gyeongsin and Byeongin persecutions. Blessed Heo In-baek James, Kim Jong-ryun Luke and Yi Yang-deung Peter were martyred here on September 14, 1868 (July 28 by the lunar calendar). The shrine includes the Ulsan Byeongyeong Martyrs’ Shrine Church dedicated in 2014.

History

The term Jangdae (將臺) refers to a stone-built platform (臺) on which a commander would stand to direct soldiers. The Byeongyeong command platform in Namoe-dong, Jung-gu, Ulsan, where the Gyeongsang-jwado Byeongma Jeoldosa, the provincial military commander, was stationed at the time of the persecutions, was used not only for military training but also for executing felons convicted of grave crimes. In 1860, at the time of the Gyeongsin Persecution, and in 1868, during the Byeongin Persecution, countless Catholic faithful were martyred here in two great waves of persecution. At the time of the Gyeongsin Persecution, O Chi-mun was martyred by white-paper execution, and at the time of the Byeongin Persecution, Heo In-baek James, Kim Jong-ryun Luke, Yi Yang-deung Peter and others were martyred by military-gate display of the head after beheading. Military-gate display of the head is a method of execution in which the victim is beheaded and the severed heads are hung at the military gate or on the command platform.

Heo In-baek James, Kim Jong-ryun Luke and Yi Yang-deung Peter had fled the persecution and hidden in the Daejae mission chapel (Jungnyeong) deep in the mountains, but were arrested by constables. The Episcopal Commission for the Beatification and Canonization of the Korean Bishops’ Conference explains that the three families were living the life of faith together at Beomgul on Danseoksan Mountain in Gyeongju when they were arrested. They were transferred to Gyeongju and then transferred again to Ulsan, and on September 14, 1868 (July 28 by the lunar calendar) were beheaded at the command platform. According to the biography of Yi Yang-deung Peter, he was the president of the Ulsan Jungnyeong Catholic village (present-day Icheon-ri, Sangbuk-myeon, Ulsan City), earned his living as a honey seller, and at the time of his martyrdom made the Sign of the Cross and loudly called out the names of Jesus and Mary.

The remains of the three martyrs were recovered by the wife of Heo In-baek, Bak Jo-ye, who had followed them to the execution ground, and were temporarily buried beneath the riverbank near the execution ground. After freedom of faith was granted, in 1907 their descendants moved the remains to the hill behind Jinmokjeong in Sannae-myeon, Gyeongju City (the Bishops’ Conference source says the hill in front of Jinmokjeong in Sannae-myeon, Wolseong-gun) and buried them together. In late May 1932 the descendants transferred them again to the Wolbae Catholic cemetery in Daegu, in October 1962 enshrined them in a stone casket in front of the statue of Mary in the Wolbae church cemetery, and on October 19, 1973 transferred them to the grounds of the Blessed Martyrs church in Sincheon 3-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu, where they remain to this day. Concerning the name Bak Jo-ye, the Bishops’ Conference source explains that 'joyi' in standard speech is 'joye' in the Gyeongsang dialect.

Boksan Church (the former Ulsan Church) erected a small sign at Saechibeol by the Taehwa River in 1957 to honor the will of the martyrs, but because of riverside improvement no marker can now be found. In order to preserve and develop the martyrdom site, in 1977 535 pyeong of the martyrdom site was purchased by the Dongcheon River, and in September 1979 the parish pastoral council took the lead in beginning development, installing a monument honoring the martyrs, a statue of Saint Kim Dae-geon Andrew and an outdoor stone altar. The Diocese of Busan held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ulsan Byeongyeong Martyrs’ Shrine Church in April 2013 and began developing the site, and in March of the following year held the dedication ceremony for a church with 2 stories. The three martyrs Heo In-baek, Kim Jong-ryun and Yi Yang-deung were beatified by Pope Francis on August 16, 2014 at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul.

Related Places and Persons

• Daegu Blessed Martyrs Church: the place where the remains of the three Blesseds are enshrined (a related shrine in the Bishops’ Conference source).
• Jinmokjeong Shrine: the related shrine in Sannae-myeon, Gyeongju City, where the remains were once buried together (a related shrine in the Bishops’ Conference source).
• Daejae mission chapel (Jungnyeong): the mission chapel deep in the mountains where the three Blesseds had hidden from the persecution before being arrested.
• Heo In-baek James, Kim Jong-ryun Luke and Yi Yang-deung Peter: the Blesseds who were martyred here on September 14, 1868 and beatified on August 16, 2014.
• O Chi-mun: the person martyred here by white-paper execution at the time of the Gyeongsin Persecution.

References and Sources

1. Episcopal Commission for the Beatification and Canonization of the Korean Bishops’ Conference, related shrine 'Ulsan Byeongyeong Martyrs’ Shrine'. The character of the Byeongyeong command platform, the forms of martyrdom, the circumstances of the arrest and martyrdom of the three Blesseds, the route of transfer of the remains, the explanation of the name Bak Jo-ye, and the related shrines were confirmed.
   https://cbck.or.kr/koreanmartyrs/Shrines/6
2. Episcopal Commission for the Beatification and Canonization of the Korean Bishops’ Conference, biographies of the 124 Blesseds 118 Yi Yang-deung Peter. The identity and occupation of Yi Yang-deung, the Jungnyeong Catholic village, the process of arrest and martyrdom, and his appearance at the time of martyrdom were confirmed.
   https://cbck.or.kr/koreanmartyrs/124-Martyrs/118
3. Good News, shrine and historic site Ulsan Byeongyeong Martyrs’ Shrine. The Gyeongsin Persecution in 1860, the martyrdom in 1868, the years of transfer of the remains, the sign in 1957, the purchase of land in 1977 and the development in 1979, the groundbreaking in 2013 and the dedication in 2014, and the beatification in 2014 were confirmed.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2333