Solmoe Shrine

History & origins

The name Solmoe already appears in records connected with Kim Taegon's recommendation as a seminarian in 1836. Kim was born here in 1821, studied in Macao, and was ordained a priest in 1845, becoming the first native Korean Catholic priest. His faith did not begin in isolation. His great-grandfather Kim Jin-hu, Pius, was martyred at Haemi in 1814; his grand-uncle Kim Jong-han, Andrew, in Daegu in 1816; and his father Kim Je-jun, Ignatius, outside Seosomun in Seoul in 1839. Kim Taegon himself was martyred at Saenamteo in 1846.

Efforts to preserve and honor Kim Taegon's birthplace took concrete form in the early twentieth century. According to the Diocese of Daejeon, Father Krempf of Hapdeok Parish purchased land near the birthplace in 1906, and in 1945 Father Perrin erected a monument to Kim Taegon, who was then a blessed. The following year Archbishop Paul Ro Ki-nam presided over the unveiling and a commemorative Mass, giving the site a clearer form as a destination of pilgrimage.

In 2014 Pope Francis visited Solmoe for a meeting with Asian youth. On September 26 of that same year, the Korea Heritage Service designated the area, which preserves the history of Kim Taegon and his family, as a Historic Site. Together these events brought wider attention to Solmoe not only as a Catholic pilgrimage site but also as a place that illuminates Korea's modern religious history.

The interpretation and presentation of the site's history have continued to develop. In September 2024 the former Kim Taegon Memorial Museum reopened after renovation as the Diocese of Daejeon History Museum, displaying documents related to the establishment of the diocese, belongings of diocesan priests, and materials concerning Kim Taegon. Solmoe's history has thus expanded from the memory of a saint's birthplace to encompass a martyred family, the development of a shrine, a papal visit, heritage preservation, and the presentation of diocesan history.