Nabawi Shrine

Overview

Nabawi Shrine is a shrine of the Catholic Diocese of Jeonju in Hwasan-ri, Mangseong-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, where Father Andrew Kim Dae-geon, ordained in China, arrived near Hwasan at Nabawi, Hwangsanpo, in the lower Geum River aboard the Raphael on the night of October 12, 1845 and first set foot on Joseon soil. Nabawi Church (formerly Hwasan Church) within the shrine is Historic Site No. 318.

History

[Landing of Father Kim Dae-geon] Good News records that Father Kim Dae-geon was ordained at Jinjiaxiang Church in Shanghai on August 17, 1845, and on August 31 boarded the small wooden ship Raphael with 11 faithful, accompanying Bishop Ferreol and Father Daveluy, and set out for home, dropping anchor near Hwasan at Nabawi, Hwangsanpo, a short distance from Ganggyeong, on October 12. The Jeonju diocesan pilgrimage guide states that the party arrived near Hwasan at Nabawi, Hwangsanpo, on the night of October 12, 1845.

[Mission chapel and parish foundation] The Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia states that the Nabawi Catholic mission chapel was founded in 1882 and was elevated to a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Jeonju on May 8, 1897. Its name at foundation was Hwasan Church, and because it shared the same name as Hwasan Church in Wanju-gun, it was renamed Nabawi Church in 1989. Its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1897 Father Vermorel (Zhang Ruose, Joseph) took office as the first parish priest. The Jeonju diocesan pilgrimage guide states that when Father Vermorel built the church he had no thought of commemorating Father Kim Dae-geon’s party, and that it later became known as Father Kim Dae-geon’s landing place. Yonhap News reported that Father Vermorel bought the ruined house of Kim Yeosan, who had fallen amid the Donghak Peasant Movement, for 1 thousand nyang and remodeled it into a church.

[Church construction and heritage designation] The Culture Encyclopedia states that at first a private house purchased by Father Vermorel was remodeled and used, that construction was planned from 1905, and that a new church was built in December 1907. Good News states that Father Vermorel completed it in 1907. The church was designated as Historic Site No. 318 on July 18, 1987, and was redesignated as a Historic Site with its serial number abolished under a Cultural Heritage Administration notice on November 19, 2021 (Culture Encyclopedia).

[After the Japanese occupation period] According to the Culture Encyclopedia, during the Japanese occupation period it provided the occasion for nationwide refusal of shrine worship. The Gyemyeong School, founded through the patriotic enlightenment movement in 1908, suffered under oppression and was closed in 1947; in 1949 its school building was demolished and its materials were used to build a convent, and the sisters set up a dispensary and carried out medical work for poor farmers. It was known as a church where Mass never ceased even during the Korean War.

[Restoration of the Raphael] Yonhap News reported that, to mark the 200th anniversary of Father Kim Dae-geon’s birth, the Diocese of Jeonju restored and installed the Raphael at Nabawi Shrine and held a blessing ceremony on August 21, 2021. The boat is 13.5m long, 4.8m wide and 2.1m high in hull height, the same size as the one installed on Jeju Island after historical research, and is open at all times to tourists and pilgrims visiting the shrine. The shrine is said to include the church, a history museum, Daegeon Hall and others.

Architecture and Space

According to Good News, the design was by Father Poisnel (Poisnel), who designed Myeongdong Church, construction was undertaken by Chinese workers, and the architectural style took the form of a hanok to suit Korean sensibilities. In 1916–1917 the earthen walls were replaced with Western-style brick, the existing bell tower was demolished and a Gothic brick bell tower was erected at the entrance, the outer wooden veranda was changed into a cloister, and in 1922 the lower parts of the cloister columns were remodeled in stone. The Culture Encyclopedia describes it as a building harmonizing traditional hanok style with Western church architecture, and states that a portion of Father Kim Dae-geon’s relics, transferred from the Jeonju diocesan office in 1995, is enshrined in the tabernacle of the small altar on the right side inside the church.

References and Sources

1. Catholic Good News Shrines and Historic Sites, “Nabawi Shrine”. Father Kim Dae-geon’s return route and landing, church construction process and historic-site designation.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2357
2. Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia, “Iksan Nabawi Church”. 1882 mission chapel, 1897 parish, 1989 renaming, historic-site designation and redesignation, Gyemyeong School and convent.
   https://iksan.grandculture.net/iksan/toc/GC07500969
3. Catholic Diocese of Jeonju, “Walking pilgrimage of village communities - Martyrs’ Path”. Arrival on October 12, 1845 and Father Vermorel, church architectural style.
   https://www.jcatholic.or.kr/theme/main/pages/pilgrimage02.html
4. Yonhap News, “Father Kim Dae-geon’s Raphael restored and installed at Nabawi Shrine in Iksan where he first set foot” (2021.8.21). Restoration of the Raphael and its dimensions.
   https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20210821039600055