About this place
The Kim Giryang Martyr Memorial Hall is a place established by the Diocese of Jeju to remember Blessed Felix Peter Kim Giryang and to pass on the witness of his faith. The Episcopal Commission for Beatification and Canonization of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea identifies Kim Giryang as a native of Hamdeok, Jeju, born in 1816 and martyred in Tongyeong in 1867, and lists this memorial among the places associated with him.
The Diocese of Jeju blessed and opened the memorial in Jocheon-eup in 2022. According to the diocesan report, the complex consists of several buildings displaying a variety of materials related to Kim Giryang and was designed as a place where visitors can learn about his life and martyrdom and pray. It is therefore more than a historical exhibition hall: it is a pilgrimage site where the Church in Jeju reflects on the evangelizing work and witness of the man remembered as Jeju's first baptized Catholic and martyr.
History & origins
Felix Peter Kim Giryang was born in 1816 into a middle-status family in Hamdeok, Jeju, and worked as a merchant who traveled by sea. In 1857, while on a trading voyage, he was caught in a storm and drifted at sea for an extended period. After being rescued in waters near Guangdong, China, he was brought into contact with the Paris Foreign Missions Society in Hong Kong. There he learned the Catholic faith and was baptized before returning to Korea and evangelizing in Jeju.
During the Byeongin Persecution, Kim Giryang was arrested in Tongyeong in 1867 because he was a Catholic. He remained faithful through repeated interrogation and punishment and was eventually martyred by hanging. The Catholic Church in Korea later reexamined his witness in the beatification process, and the Diocese of Jeju records his beatification in 2014.
Plans for a permanent memorial took concrete form with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 24, 2020. After construction, Bishop Pius Moon Chang-woo of Jeju presided over the blessing of the Kim Giryang Martyr Memorial Hall on April 23, 2022. The diocese created the memorial as a place to exhibit materials related to Kim Giryang, unveil a new portrait, and hand on the story of his life and martyrdom as part of the faith heritage of the Church in Jeju.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Start the first record for Kim Gi-ryang Martyr Memorial Hall
No public encyclopedia article is available for this place yet. Help document its Catholic history and stories with verifiable sources.
Encyclopedia articles are currently available in Korean.
Would you like to record this place in your pilgrimage passport?
Sign in to keep this record with you.
Accessibility information
Accessibility information is not available yet. Please check with the location before visiting.
Sources and updates
- Information Status
- Official
- Source
- Official source
- Data freshness
- Fresh
- Last updated
- Source
- 한국천주교주교회의 온라인 주소록
Diocese
Jeju Diocese (Diocese of Jeju)
Official website: https://www.diocesejeju.or.kr
Help verify information
Did the Mass schedule or church information change?
Let us know if you confirmed the displayed information or noticed something different.
Information Status: Official source
Visited here? Share details about toilets, parking or ramps.
Sign in to leave a visitor check.
Sign in to confirm the schedule or report a change.
Reports are saved for review. Mass times are changed after evidence such as official sources is checked, not automatically based on visitor confirmations.