남동 성당

About this place

Namdong Catholic Church is a parish church of the Archdiocese of Gwangju in Namdong, Dong-gu, Gwangju, within the Gwangju East district. The archdiocese identifies St. Ottilia as the patron of the parish, and the present church stands at 67 Jebong-ro. It is one of the older Catholic communities in central Gwangju and remains a center for Mass, the sacraments, catechesis, and parish life.

Historical Catholic sources record that Namdong Parish was separated from Bukdong Parish in the late 1940s. The current archdiocesan page gives December 8, 1949 as the establishment date, while the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia gives December 8, 1948. Although the exact year differs, both sources place the parish's origin in the same period, and its subsequent role in the growth of Catholic communities in Gwangju is clear.

Namdong Catholic Church is also remembered for its role during the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980, when clergy and civic figures gathered there in efforts to respond to the crisis and make the events known. The church is therefore both a living parish and a place closely connected with the modern civic history of Gwangju.

Official source