Dangogae Martyrs' Shrine Catholic Church

Overview

Danggogae Martyrs Shrine is a martyrs shrine of the Seoul Archdiocese located in Singye-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where in 1839, as the Gihae Persecution was coming to an end, 10 believers were martyred by beheading. It is introduced as the place that produced the third largest number of saints, after the crossroads outside Seosomun and Saenamteo, and among the martyrs 9 are saints and Maria Yi Seong-rye is a blessed.

History

[Location of Danggogae] According to the shrine introduction by the Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization, Danggogae was originally not an execution ground like Saenamteo or the area outside Seosomun. It was located at the end of the ridge running from Muakjae through Ahyeon and Manlrijae to what is now the Yongsan District Office, where it meets Mancheo Stream.

[Change of the execution site] As the Gihae Persecution was coming to an end, the authorities suddenly changed the place for executing believers from the execution ground outside Seosomun to the Danggogae execution ground. This was in response to a request by merchants in 1840 not to disturb the great market for Lunar New Year. The shrine homepage also explains that at the request of merchants ahead of the Lunar New Year market, the execution ground was moved from the crossroads outside Seosomun to Danggogae.

[Martyrdom] On January 31, 1840~February 1 (lunar December 1839 27~28), 10 believers were martyred here by beheading. On January 31, 7 persons, namely Augustine Park Jong-won, Peter Hong Byeong-ju, Agatha Kwon Jin-i, Agatha Yi Gyeong-i, Magdalena Son So-byeok, Maria Yi In-deok, and Maria Yi Seong-rye, mother of Father Choe Yang-eop, and on the next day February 1, 3 persons, namely Paul Hong Yeong-ju, Barbara Choe Yeong-i, and John Yi Mun-u, were martyred. Good News introduces them as the martyrs who closed the Gihae Persecution. Among the martyrs, 9 persons, including Park Jong-won, the brothers Hong Byeong-ju and Hong Yeong-ju, Son So-byeok, Yi Gyeong-i, Yi In-deok, Kwon Jin-i, Yi Mun-u, and Choe Yeong-i, were raised to sainthood.

[Brothers Hong Byeong-ju and Hong Yeong-ju] The brothers Hong Byeong-ju and Hong Yeong-ju, martyred at Danggogae, were grandsons of Luke Hong Nak-min, martyred in 1801, and nephews of Protasius Hong Jae-yeong, who was beheaded in Jeonju on January 4, 1840, one month before them. In accordance with Joseon law prohibiting the joint execution of brothers or of father and child, Peter Hong Byeong-ju was martyred on January 31 at the age of 42, and his younger brother Paul Hong Yeong-ju was martyred on February 1 at the age of 39.

[Maria Yi Seong-rye] Maria Yi Seong-rye, a martyr of Danggogae who was the wife of Saint Choe Gyeong-hwan and the mother of Father Choe Yang-eop, left prison saying she would apostatize because she feared all her young children would be killed, but then returned to her husband and received the blade of martyrdom. For this reason she was not raised to sainthood and was beatified on August 16, 2014. The Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization explains that the farewell scene between Maria Yi Seong-rye and her second son James Choe is contained in the Biographical Record of Basil Choe U-jeong written in 1939 by Vincent Choe Sang-jong, nephew of Father Choe Yang-eop (Choe Sang-jong was the eldest son of Basil Choe U-jeong, the third younger brother of Father Choe Yang-eop).

[Redevelopment and dedication of the shrine] According to Good News, following redevelopment near the shrine by the City of Seoul, large-scale shrine redevelopment work was carried out starting in April 2008, and through about 3 years of construction it was harmonized with the surrounding environment in connection with the neighborhood park in the district. The park name was changed to Singye History Park, imbued with the history of the martyr saints. The shrine held its dedication ceremony on September 4, 2011, officiated by Cardinal Jeong Jin-seok.

[Establishment as a parish] The address book of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea lists Danggogae Martyrs Shrine (Quasi-parish) as belonging to Jung-gu-Yongsan District No. 1 in the Central Seoul Region of the Seoul Archdiocese, with an establishment date of 2012.02.10.

[Spatial composition] According to Good News, the entire shrine was shaped as the warm embrace of a mother and was redeveloped using hanok houses and yellow earthen walls so that it feels cozy like a home village amid high-rise buildings. The shrine homepage explains that the shrine was created on the theme of bramble-flower pain, plum-blossom fragrance, and that, with a Way of the Cross laid out following the life and faith of Maria Yi Seong-rye, it is called the Shrine of the Mother and the Shrine of Life, and it introduces the painting exhibition room, the garden Way of the Cross, and the plum-fragrance religious goods shop.

[Brief biographies of the martyrs] The Footsteps of the Martyrs on the shrine homepage introduces them with years of birth and death as follows. Augustine Park Jong-won (1792~1839) was a Seoul president devoted to rebuilding the Church and bringing in priests. Magdalena Son So-byeok (1801~1839) was a mother and wife who kept her faith to the end amid the pain of losing many children and chose the path of martyrdom together with her whole family. John Yi Mun-u (1809~1839) was a lay seminarian devoted to the Church by assisting priests and left the Okjungjeseong. Agatha Yi Gyeong-i (1813~1839) lived with the poor and devoted herself to a penitential life, and kept her faith despite repeated arrests and torture. Barbara Choe Yeong-i (1818~1839) was a young martyr martyred at Danggogae following her mother, and Maria Yi In-deok (1818~1839) chose a life of virginity and was martyred as a fellow believer until the day of death, following her mother and older sister. Agatha Kwon Jin-i (1819~1839) devoted herself to repentance and asceticism, longed for martyrdom, and was martyred following her mother. Peter Hong Byeong-ju (1798~1839) was a president in the Naepo area who was arrested while hiding and caring for priests, and Paul Hong Yeong-ju (1801~1839) was a president who cared for fellow believers together with his elder brother. Maria Yi Seong-rye (1801~1839) was a mother who wavered once but revoked her apostasy and was martyred.

Jurisdiction and Affiliation

The address book of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea records the patron as Nos. 62~70 among 103 saints, No. 104 among 124 blesseds. Its jurisdiction is Jung-gu-Yongsan District No. 1 in the Central Seoul Region of the Seoul Archdiocese.

Related Places and People

• Seosomun Crossroads Shrine and Saenamteo Shrine: Good News introduces Danggogae as the shrine that produced the third largest number of saints, after the crossroads outside Seosomun and Saenamteo.
• Father Choe Yang-eop: He is the son of Maria Yi Seong-rye.
• Saint Choe Gyeong-hwan: He is the husband of Maria Yi Seong-rye.
• Singye History Park: It is the park where the shrine is located.

References and Sources

1. Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization, Related Shrines: Danggogae Martyrs Shrine. Location of Danggogae, change of execution site, list and dates of martyrs, the brothers Hong Byeong-ju and Hong Yeong-ju, farewell scene of Maria Yi Seong-rye in the Biographical Record of Basil Choe U-jeong.
   https://cbck.or.kr/koreanmartyrs/Shrines/92
2. Good News Shrines and Historic Sites, Danggogae Martyrs Shrine. Location, number of saints, beatification of Maria Yi Seong-rye, redevelopment process and dedication ceremony in 2011, shaping of the shrine.
   https://app.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2288
3. Danggogae Martyrs Shrine, Shrine Introduction. The Gihae Persecution and the martyrdom at Danggogae, theme and facilities of the shrine.
   https://danggogae.org/%eb%8b%b9%ea%b3%a0%ea%b0%9c%ec%9a%a9%ec%82%b0%ec%88%9c%ea%b5%90%ec%84%b1%ec%a7%80/%ec%84%b1%ec%a7%80%ec%86%8c%ea%b0%9c/
4. Danggogae Martyrs Shrine, Footsteps of the Martyrs. Birth and death years and brief biographies of 9 saints and 1 blessed.
   https://danggogae.org/%eb%8b%b9%ea%b3%a0%ea%b0%9c%ec%9a%a9%ec%82%b0%ec%88%9c%ea%b5%90%ec%84%b1%ec%a7%80/%ec%88%9c%ea%b5%90%ec%9e%90%ec%9d%98-%eb%b0%9c%ec%9e%90%ec%b7%a8
5. Online Address Book of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea, Danggogae Martyrs Shrine (Quasi-parish). Affiliated diocese and district, establishment date, patron.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201007059&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011