압구정동 성당

History & origins

The formation of Apgujeong-dong Parish began as the Catholic population of the area increased amid the development of Gangnam and the construction of large apartment complexes in the 1970s. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia describes how local Catholics organized a community in 1978 and began celebrating Mass in a temporary chapel. At first, the growing community remained within the territory of Cheongdam Parish.

As the community expanded, it was established as an independent parish on May 31, 1979. The new parish continued preparations to secure a permanent church site, obtained land in 1980, and began construction in July 1981. This was the process by which a community newly formed amid Gangnam’s rapid residential development moved beyond a temporary chapel toward a permanent church.

Construction continued for about a year, and the church was completed and dedicated in June 1982. The early history of Apgujeong-dong Parish clearly shows a Catholic community forming rapidly alongside the urban development of Gangnam and developing from temporary worship space into an independent parish with its own church. The foundation of the present parish was laid in this concentrated formative period from 1978 to 1982.