Cheonho Sanctuary

Overview

Cheonho Shrine is a shrine of the Diocese of Jeonju located at the foot of Cheonhosan Mountain in Bibong-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk. It stands at the Cheonho (天呼) Catholic mission chapel, a village of the faithful formed around the Gihae Persecution of 1839, and holds the graves of 4 saints martyred at Supjeongi in Jeonju during the Byeongin Persecution, Kim Yeong-o martyred in Gongju, and ten anonymous martyrs martyred in Yeosan in 1868.

History

According to Good News and the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, the faithful came to live in the Cheonho area around the Gihae Persecution of 1839, with faithful mainly from Chungcheong-do fleeing persecution and settling in Muneunggol, opposite the present saints’ burial ground. In the 1840s, the Darisil (Cheonho) Catholic mission chapel was established, and its first president was Park Jun-seong. Around Cheonhosan Mountain, 7 Catholic mission chapels were formed at Cheonho (Darisil, Yongchunae), Sansugol, Eoreumgol, Naksugol, Buldanggol, Seongchaegol, Simok-dong and other places.

Of the six saints beheaded at Supjeongi in Jeonju in 1866, the descendants of Son Seon-ji, Jeong Mun-ho and Han Jae-gwon moved the bodies temporarily buried near Supjeongi on January 1867 to Darisil (Son Seon-ji) and Simok-dong (Jeong Mun-ho and Han Jae-gwon), and lived in hiding around Cheonhosan Mountain. In 1877, Father Blanc settled in Eoreumgol and ministered there (Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture). The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that the reburial place of Jeong Mun-ho and Han Jae-gwon was Simok-dong and that they were later moved beside the grave of Son Seon-ji. The Diocese of Jeonju introduces Eoreumgol, where Father Blanc first settled and ministered in 1867, as the first place of ministry in Jeolla.

In 1909, the faithful, centered on Father Vermond (Mok Se-yeong) of Doejae Parish, purchased forest land around Cheonhosan Mountain. The Digital Wanju Culture Encyclopedia records that 12 faithful purchased 150 jeongbo, while the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that about 45 pyeong was purchased for 2,000 nyang. Around 1941, land of 75 jeongbo, believed to contain the buried martyrs, was donated to the Church, laying the foundation for the martyrs’ cemetery.

In 1923, work to identify the graves was carried out for the beatification of the martyrs of 1866, and on June 11 the graves of Saint Son Seon-ji and Kim Seong-hwa (James) and 6 others were identified at Cheonho, and a martyrs’ monument was unveiled as a commemorative project for the 100th anniversary of the Gihae Persecution martyrs of 1939 (Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture). From May 1983 10–13, the remains of Jeong Mun-ho and Han Jae-gwon were excavated through excavation and trial excavation of the martyrs’ cemetery, and later that year on December 18 a reburial ceremony was held for Jeong Mun-ho, Han Jae-gwon, Son Seon-ji and 10 anonymous martyrs (Digital Wanju Culture Encyclopedia).

After the canonization of the Blessed Martyrs (May 6, 1984), the Diocese of Jeonju began full-scale development of the shrine from October 1984 and blessed the newly renovated martyrs’ cemetery on November 30, 1985. A statue of the Virgin Mary and 14 Stations of the Cross were installed, and as a commemorative project for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Jeonju in 1987, a retreat house was built and dedicated on August 31. In 1988, the grave of Kim Yeong-o, martyr of the Byeongin Persecution, was transferred, and a portion of the remains of Saint Yi Myeong-seo was moved from Jeoldusan and enshrined.

On May 2007, the Cheonho Resurrection Church was newly built (Good News; the Catholic Times records it as 2008). On May 2008, the old Cheonho Catholic mission chapel building (now Cheonho Church) was newly built. In 2009, the “Beautiful Pilgrimage Route” was established, passing through 4 major religious shrines in the Jeonbuk region, and on December 2013, the “Cheonho Catholic Museum of Sacred Objects,” the first of its kind in the Korean Church, was opened. On January 2011, the Cheonho Catholic mission chapel was raised to a quasi-parish, whose patron saint is Bartholomew (Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture).

Architecture and Grounds

According to the Digital Wanju Culture Encyclopedia, the group of martyrs’ tombstones comprises 4 saints’ graves (Peter Yi Myeong-seo, Peter Son Seon-ji, Bartholomew Jeong Mun-ho and Joseph Han Jae-gwon) and 11 martyrs’ graves (Augustine Kim Yeong-o and 10 anonymous martyrs of Yeosan). The shrine grounds include a retreat house, an enshrinement chapel and a museum of sacred objects, with the Honam Church History Research Institute nearby.

According to the Catholic Times, on the altar wall of the Resurrection Church below the saints’ burial ground stands a statue of the Risen Jesus created by artist Lee Chun-man, and below the church lies an enshrinement chapel. The Cheonho Catholic Museum of Sacred Objects was established on December 2013 and consists of Saint Paul Hall (2 floors) and Saint Peter Hall (1 floors) (Jeonbuk Domin Ilbo).

Religious Significance and Context for Visiting

The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture explains that “Cheonho” derives from a village of the faithful meaning “living while calling on the name of the Lord of Heaven,” and that “Cheonhosan (天壺山)” may be understood as a remote mountain valley enclosed like a gourd bottle under heaven, or as a bottle-shaped mountain valley filled with the blood of the martyrs.

The Diocese of Jeonju notes that near the shrine stands the Mass cave where Bishop Ferreol and Father Daveluy hid and celebrated Mass after Father Kim Dae-geon was arrested, while the Catholic Times describes this as lasting about two months after the arrest in 1846. The Diocese of Jeonju dates the event to 1845, so the years differ.

Related Places and Figures

• Jeonju Supjeongi Shrine: the place where 4 saints were martyred.
• Yeosan Martyrs’ Shrine: the place where ten anonymous martyrs were martyred in 1868.
• Eoreumgol: the first place of ministry in Jeolla, where Father Blanc settled and ministered.
• Mass Cave: the place where Bishop Ferreol and Father Daveluy hid and celebrated Mass.
• Naksugol: a place to reflect on the life of Park Jun-bok, who practiced love of neighbor.

References and Sources

1. Good News Catholic Information, Cheonho Shrine of the Diocese of Jeonju. Confirmed the buried martyrs, shrine development after 1984, and construction in 2007, 2008 and 2013.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2362
2. Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, Catholic Historic Site of Cheonhosan Mountain. Confirmed the explanation of the place name, the establishment of the Catholic mission chapel and the 7 chapels, the process of reburial and hallowing, and the elevation to Cheonho Parish.
   https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0069930
3. Digital Wanju Culture Encyclopedia, Group of Martyrs’ Tombstones at Cheonho Shrine in Naewol-ri. Confirmed the forest-land purchase of 1909, the donation of 1941, the excavation and reburial ceremony of 1983, and the number of graves.
   http://www.grandculture.net/wanju/toc/GC07000478
4. Diocese of Jeonju, Cheonho Shrine. Confirmed nearby historic sites including Eoreumgol and the Mass Cave.
   https://www.jcatholic.or.kr/theme/main/pages/terrasanta05.php
5. Catholic Times, “[A Walk Through Church Museums Near Us] (6) Cheonho Shrine of the Diocese of Jeonju and the Cheonho Catholic Museum of Sacred Objects” (March 15, 2022). Confirmed the Mass Cave, the Resurrection Church, the statue of the Risen Jesus, and the Honam Church History Research Institute.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/202203150104594