Daesan Catholic Church Guhanseon Tadaeo Sacred Site (Diocesan Martyrs' Tomb)

About this place

The Blessed Thaddeus Gu Han-seon Shrine associated with Daesan Catholic Church is a pilgrimage site of the Diocese of Masan honoring Blessed Thaddeus Gu Han-seon, who remained faithful during the Byeongin Persecution and died as a martyr. The Special Episcopal Commission for Beatification and Canonization of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea lists his grave in Pyeongnim-ri as a shrine of the Diocese of Masan and identifies Daesan Parish as the responsible institution. The shrine is therefore best understood as a pilgrimage network centered pastorally on Daesan Catholic Church and extending to the martyr's grave on the slope of Gadeungsan in Pyeongnim-ri.

Thaddeus Gu Han-seon served as an altar assistant to Father Ridel and accompanied missionary journeys while still a young man. During the Byeongin Persecution he was arrested, severely beaten, and later died from the injuries. The present shrine is not simply a place that preserves a grave; it is a place where the local Church recovered and cultivated the memory of a martyr who had nearly been forgotten. By seeing the parish and grave together, visitors can understand how the martyr heritage of Haman continues within parish life and pilgrimage tradition. It is important that official sources distinguish the pastoral and contact center of the shrine from the physical location of the grave. The identity of the shrine is understood most accurately when Daesan Catholic Church’s pastoral role and the Pyeongnim-ri cemetery are seen together as parts of one pilgrimage tradition.