영광순교자기념성당

About this place

Yeonggwang Martyrs Memorial Church is not a second, separate parish. It is the memorial title given to Yeonggwang Catholic Church at 40 Jungang-ro 2-gil, Yeonggwang-eup, in recognition of the area’s history of martyrdom. On September 16, 2010, the Archdiocese of Gwangju designated Yeonggwang Catholic Church as the first martyrs memorial church in the archdiocese.

Yi Hwa-baek and an unidentified woman from Boksan-ri are remembered as having been martyred in Yeonggwang during the 1801 Sinyu Persecution, and historical studies have proposed the area in front of the present church entrance as a likely execution site. To preserve this memory, the archdiocese added a martyrs memorial gate and statues in 2014 and a memorial exhibition hall on the church grounds in 2017.

The name “Yeonggwang Martyrs Memorial Church” therefore does not refer to a different physical church from Yeonggwang Parish. It expresses the additional identity of the same church as a place dedicated to remembering and honoring the martyrs of Yeonggwang.

Official source