Hwangsapyeong Shrine

Overview

Hwangsa-pyeong Shrine is a shrine of the Diocese of Jeju, originating from the burial ground where the bodies of Catholic faithful killed in the Sinchuk Persecution in 1901 were buried. On land transferred in 1903 and measuring about 18,000 pyeong, a martyrs' cemetery and a clergy cemetery, a monument of merit, and the Kim Giryang Martyrdom Monument have been created, and it is also used as a common burial place of the Diocese of Jeju.

History

According to Good News, Father Pene of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and Korean Father Kim Won-yeong Augustine first entered Jeju in May 1899, and in early the following year Father Lacru took office as Father Pene's successor. Just before the Sinchuk Persecution, the Church in Jeju comprised 2 parishes with 241 faithful and 620 catechumens.

In 1901, Catholic faithful were killed at Gwandeokjeong and elsewhere in the Sinchuk Persecution. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that at that time a civilian army was stationed at Hwangsa-pyeong to enter Jeju Fortress and on May 28 occupied Jeju Fortress and massacred about 300 to 350 faithful. The victims' bodies were temporarily buried on the slope between Byeoldobong and Hwabukcheon, graves claimed by relatives were moved away, and only unclaimed bodies remained.

Accounts differ on the date the burial ground was confirmed. Good News writes that Bishop Mutel, who visited Jeju in August 1902, strongly demanded that a burial ground be secured, and on November 17, 1903 the cemetery land issue was finally settled, Hwangsa-pyeong was transferred, and the remains were reburied. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that around April 29, 1903 Hwangsa-pyeong was decided upon as the burial ground, and on September 14 of the same year the Foreign Ministry instructed the governor of Jeju to 'confirm Hwangsa-pyeong as a burial concession for Catholics,' bringing the matter to a close. The Digital Encyclopedia of Jeju Culture also reports that in 1903 it was granted as a cemetery through negotiations between the French minister and the Korean government.

The unclaimed graves and bodies moved to Hwangsa-pyeong at that time totaled 26 graves with 28 bodies, including combined graves (Good News). According to the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, in 1903 Father Lacru of Jeju Parish received about 1 ten thousand 8,000 pyeong of Hwangsa-pyeong from Hong Jong-u, magistrate of Jeju, and at first only the bodies of victims of the Sinchuk Persecution were to be buried there.

Since September 1977 the Diocese of Jeju has held an annual Martyrs' Honoring Ceremony at Hwangsa-pyeong. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that in the early 1980s, as a project commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Church in Korea, the sanctification of the cemetery precinct was promoted, the cemetery of the unknown martyrs was improved, plots for ordinary faithful began to be offered, and from 1987 the project to turn the cemetery precinct into a park gathered pace. Good News writes that in 1980 the church cemetery was rebuilt as a park cemetery, with a stone retaining fence and statues erected and the martyrs' graves moved to flat burials, differing on the year.

In 1993, the Committee for the 100th Anniversary of Evangelization in Jeju again promoted the sanctification, moving the graves of Thomas Kim, a victim of the Sinchuk Persecution, and Shin Jae-sun Augustine, altar server to Father Lacru, to the martyrs' cemetery, and in 1995 the victims' remains were gathered in one place to create a combined tomb (Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture). Good News reports that in November 1995, in preparation for the 100th anniversary of evangelization in the Diocese of Jeju, the remains of 28 bodies were jointly buried to newly refurbish the martyrs' cemetery and to create a clergy cemetery.

On September 20, 1998, in the clergy cemetery, a monument of merit was erected honoring the missionaries of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and the Missionary Society of St. Columban. After the dispatch of missionaries in 1899, foreign priests who entered Jeju over more than 100 years numbered 55, and among them the names of 16 deceased were engraved on the monument of merit (Good News). At the Martyrs' Honoring Ceremony on September 27, 1998, the unveiling ceremony was held for the martyrdom monument of Felix Peter Kim Giryang, the first believer from Jeju.

On November 7, 2003, the Diocese of Jeju adopted a declaration of reconciliation with the 'Committee for the Memorial Project of the 1901 Jeju Uprising.' In 2008, construction of a columbarium began in front of the martyrs' cemetery to create a memorial park. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, on May 29, 2022, for the 120st anniversary of the Sinchuk Persecution, the 'Tower of Reconciliation' was installed at Hwangsa-pyeong, as promised in the 2003 joint declaration on the common future.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture explains that Hwangsa-pyeong, which began as the common cemetery of the victims of the Sinchuk Persecution, became the representative shrine of the Diocese of Jeju where the Martyrs' Honoring Ceremony has been held every year since 1977, and its meaning as a memorial space expanded as cemeteries and a columbarium for clergy and ordinary faithful were added.

The 'Sinchuk Reconciliation Trail,' opened in 2016, is a 10.8 km course starting at Hwangsa-pyeong Shrine, passing through Gwandeokjeong to Jungang Church (Kyunghyang Shinmun).

Related Places and People

• Gwandeokjeong Shrine: the place where faithful were executed during the Sinchuk Persecution.
• Felix Peter Kim Giryang: his martyrdom monument was erected here. Good News reports that he was born in Hamdeok-ri, Jeju in 1816, was martyred by hanging in Tongyeong in January 1867, and was beatified on August 16, 2014.
• Archbishop Henry (Harold): the first head of the Jeju Vicariate, whose tomb is in the clergy cemetery.

References and Sources

1. Good News Catholic Information, Hwangsa-pyeong Shrine in the Diocese of Jeju. Confirmed the circumstances of the Sinchuk Persecution, the reburial in 1903, 26 graves with 28 bodies, the improvements in 1980 and 1995, the monument of merit and the Kim Giryang martyrdom monument in 1998, the reconciliation declaration in 2003, and the columbarium in 2008.
   https://maria.catholic.or.kr/sa_ho/list/view.asp?ctxtOrgNum=2369&menugubun=holyplace
2. Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, Hwangsa-pyeong Catholic Historic Site. Confirmed the civilian army stationing, the process of deciding the burial ground, the honoring ceremony in 1977, the park development in 1987, the improvements in 1993 and 1995, and the Tower of Reconciliation in 2022.
   https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0069929
3. Digital Encyclopedia of Jeju Culture, Hwangsa-pyeong Catholic Shrine. Confirmed the process of receiving the cemetery through negotiations with the French minister in 1903.
   https://jeju.grandculture.net/jeju/toc/GC00702688
4. Kyunghyang Shinmun, 'Jeju, Catholic Shrine and Historic Sites Meet to Open Sinchuk Reconciliation Pilgrimage Trail on the 22nd' (October 18, 2016). Confirmed the trail section.
   https://www.khan.co.kr/article/201610181557001