Galmaemot Martyrs' Shrine Catholic Church

History & origins

The Church of Our Lady of Victory was created as a new sanctuary at Galmaemot to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the Byeongin Persecution. To provide a stable place for the liturgy and for the growing flow of pilgrims who came to remember the martyrs, the shrine built a new church, which was dedicated on 31 October 2006 in a liturgy presided over by Bishop Lazarus You Heung-sik. The church was designed to accommodate about 220 people for Mass and included a room for the veneration of relics and a Eucharistic adoration chapel.

The architecture deliberately incorporates symbols connected with the shrine’s memory. Local black stone from Boryeong was used on the exterior, while the roof was shaped to evoke a shell holding a pearl. The stained glass behind the altar depicts hidden Catholics witnessing the martyrdom, and the entrance area was planned so that larger groups of pilgrims could participate in Mass from both inside and outside the church.

The project also provided a multipurpose building that could serve as dining and pilgrim lodging space, together with a religious-goods shop and offices. The construction therefore marked a development from preserving the historical execution site alone toward creating a fuller pilgrimage environment in which later generations could remain, pray, and celebrate the liturgy.