About this place
Catholic Mokpo Shrine is a pilgrimage and memorial site of the Archdiocese of Gwangju in Sanjeong-dong, Mokpo. It stands on the site of Sanjeong-dong Catholic Church, founded in 1897 as the first parish of what became the Archdiocese of Gwangju, and of the former diocesan office, giving the place special meaning as a point of origin for the local Church in Gwangju and Jeonnam. The Catholic Church Directory in Korea likewise lists Catholic Mokpo Shrine among the archdiocese's shrines and historic sites.
The shrine preserves several major memories of modern Korean Catholic history. Three priests who ministered here were abducted during the Korean War and were martyred, and in 1953 Sanjeong-dong and Gyeongdong parishes became the first places in Korea where the Legion of Mary was introduced. The former diocesan office has been restored as a history museum displaying the history of the Archdiocese of Gwangju and the Legion of Mary in Korea, together with materials related to martyrdom.
At the heart of the present shrine stands the Sanjeong-dong Martyrs Memorial Church, built in 2020 and granted the title and dignity of a Minor Basilica by the Holy See in 2021. The history museum and the Korean Legion of Mary Memorial Hall also stand here and are used for pilgrimage, education, and retreat. The shrine brings together the roots of the archdiocese, the witness of martyrdom, and the history of the Legion of Mary in Korea in a single place.
History & origins
The history of the Catholic Mokpo Shrine begins on May 8, 1897, when Fr. Albert Victor Deshayes established Mokpo Parish, today's Sanjeong-dong Parish, the first Catholic parish in Jeollanam-do. The parish became an important base for mission in southwestern Korea and Jeju.
When the Apostolic Prefecture of Gwangju was separated from the Apostolic Vicariate of Daegu in 1937, the first diocesan offices were established here, giving the site an important administrative role in the early history of the local Church. During the Korean War in 1950, Prefect Patrick Brennan, Frs. Thomas Cusack and John O'Brien, and seminarians Gregory Jeon Gi-su and Peter Go Gwang-gyu were killed; they are included among the witnesses of faith whose cause for beatification is being pursued.
On May 31, 1953, Catholics of Sanjeong-dong and Gyeong-dong parishes formed three praesidia, marking the beginning of the Legion of Mary in Korea. The shrine was later developed to preserve these layers of Catholic history, and on May 10, 2021 the Holy See granted its great church the basilica title 'Exaltation of the Holy Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.' The shrine today preserves the linked histories of Jeollanam-do's first parish, the early center of the Gwangju Church, and the birthplace of the Korean Legion of Mary.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Catholic Mokpo Shrine: history and architecture
Read about the place's history, architecture, people, and events in the Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia articles are currently available in Korean.
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Building information
- Passenger elevators: 5
- 4 above-ground floors · 1 below-ground floors
- Approved for use in 2020
- Total floor area: 8,637㎡
Building-register record · · Source
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- Official source
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- 한국천주교주교회의 온라인 주소록
Diocese
Gwangju Archdiocese (Archdiocese of Gwangju)
Official website: https://www.gjcatholic.or.kr/
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