Seocheon Martyrdom Site

Overview

The Seocheongyo Martyrdom Site is a holy site of the Diocese of Jeonju located near the Seocheongyo Bridge in Seowansan-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, and is the martyrdom site of Saint Joseph Jo Yun-ho, who was martyred during the Byeongin Persecution (1866). Jo Yun-ho was the son of Saint Peter Jo Hwa-seo and was martyred here at the age of 18. The Diocese of Jeonju installed a mosaic mural commemorating the martyrdom at the site in May 2006.

History

According to an introduction by the Catholic Diocese of Jeonju, Joseph Jo Yun-ho was born in Nambangjae, Sinchang, Chungcheong-do. In 1865, he moved with his father Jo Hwa-seo to Seongji-dong, Soyang-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, where he married Irusia and lived. Good News Catholic Information explains that he was born into a Catholic family and, while living a fervent life of faith, was arrested in Seongji-dong, a Catholic village near Jeonju, during the Byeongin Persecution. The Diocese of Jeonju introduces Jo Yun-ho’s family as the son of Jo Hwa-seo and the grandson of Andrew Jo, who was martyred in 1839.

According to the Diocese of Jeonju, on December 5, 1866, Jo Yun-ho was dragged to Jeonju together with his father, Yi Myeong-seo, Jeong Won-ji and others, and was interrogated. When the magistrate demanded apostasy, he refused, saying, ‘Since a person cannot escape dying once, how could I betray God,’ and he promised his father Jo Hwa-seo, who was leaving for the execution ground, that they would meet in heaven. At the Jeonju magistracy office, father and son underwent repeated interrogations and tortures, but they comforted and encouraged each other and kept the faith to the end.

At that time, criminal law prohibited executing a father and son on the same day, in the same place, and with the same sword. Accordingly, ten days after Jo Hwa-seo was beheaded (another diocesan introduction writes one market day later), Jo Yun-ho was executed by beating at the execution ground at Seocheongyo Bridge outside the west gate of Jeonju. Making the Sign of the Cross, Jo Yun-ho received the blows with a radiant face, and after about 200 strokes of the cudgel his body stopped moving so he was thought to be dead, but in fact he was unconscious. In the end, they put a rope around his neck, pulled it from both sides, and beat him until he died. He was 18 years old at the time of his martyrdom.

The date of martyrdom differs from source to source. One introduction by the Diocese of Jeonju gives December 18, 1866, while another introduction gives December 23 (or December 18, December 28). Good News records that he was executed under the Seocheongyo Bridge on December 23, 1866, in a brutal manner in which beggars living under the Seocheongyo Bridge were made to pull from both sides the cord tied around the saint’s neck.

Architecture and Space

The Diocese of Jeonju installed a mosaic mural commemorating the martyrdom at the saint’s martyrdom site in May 2006 (Good News). The transportation guide of Good News explains that, after crossing the Seocheongyo Bridge over the Jeonjucheon Stream from the Jeondong church, the mosaic mural commemorating Saint Joseph Jo Yun-ho is on the roadside to the right.

Faith Meaning and Visiting Context

Good News introduces this place as ‘the path of martyrdom shared with his father, Saint Jo Hwa-seo, at the age of 18,’ and notes that the Mass schedule for the holy site follows that of the Jeondong church. The Diocese of Jeonju gives the inquiry telephone number of the Jeondong church as the contact for the Seocheongyo Martyrdom Site.

Related Places and People

• Jeondong church: the church in charge of Masses and inquiries for the Seocheongyo Martyrdom Site.
• Peter Jo Hwa-seo: the father of Jo Yun-ho, a saint martyred by beheading during the Byeongin Persecution.
• Yi Myeong-seo and Jeong Won-ji: saints who were dragged to Jeonju together with Jo Yun-ho and his father and interrogated.
• Seongji-dong: the Catholic village in Soyang-myeon, Wanju-gun, where Jo Yun-ho and his father lived before being arrested.

References and Sources

1. Good News Catholic Information, Seocheongyo. Confirmed Jo Yun-ho’s arrest and method of execution, the execution on December 23, 1866, the installation of the mosaic mural in May 2006, and the Mass schedule.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2358
2. Catholic Diocese of Jeonju, Seocheongyo Holy Site. Confirmed Jo Yun-ho’s family relations, the stated dates of martyrdom, and the circumstances of the execution.
   https://www.jcatholic.or.kr/theme/gyogu/sub/m1/0308.php
3. Catholic Diocese of Jeonju, Seocheongyo Martyrdom Site. Confirmed Jo Yun-ho’s birth, move, interrogation process and martyrdom by beating, and the December 18 dating.
   http://www.jcatholic.or.kr/theme/main/pages/terrasanta08.php