Naju Martyrs Memorial Church

History & origins

The memory of martyrdom in Naju was formed during the persecutions of Catholics in the late Joseon period. According to the Archdiocese of Gwangju, Peter Yi Chun-hwa was martyred in Naju during the Gihae Persecution of 1839. Later, in 1871, as the Byeongin Persecution was nearing its end, Paul Kang Yeong-won, Andrew Yu Chi-seong, and Paul Yu Mun-bo were brought as prisoners to the Naju garrison.

In 1872, Paul Yu Mun-bo died in prison after torture, while Paul Kang Yeong-won and Andrew Yu Chi-seong were martyred by the paper-sheet execution method in front of Muhakdang at the Naju garrison. Muhakdang is remembered as a facility connected with military training at the garrison, and records concerning the martyrs associated with the place are preserved in the Chimeil Ilgi, a record of martyrdoms.

During the construction of Naju Elementary School in 1907, twelve stones believed to have been foundation stones from Muhakdang were discovered and preserved on site for many years. Ten were later moved to Naju Catholic Church: eight were used as foundation stones for a memorial structure symbolizing Muhakdang, and two were placed at the beginning of the Way of the Cross around the chapel. An information marker for the martyrdom site was installed beside the two stones that remained at the original location.

The tomb-shaped memorial chapel within the grounds of Naju Catholic Church was built to honor the faith and lives of Peter Yi Chun-hwa, Paul Kang Yeong-won, Andrew Yu Chi-seong, and Paul Yu Mun-bo. The history of this place thus joins the martyrdoms themselves with the later effort to preserve traces of the vanished site and carry their memory into prayer and remembrance for subsequent generations.