Gwanghwamun 124th Beatification Site

Overview

The Gwanghwamun 124 Martyrs Beatification Site is a church historic site commemorating the northern area of Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, where Pope Francis celebrated the beatification Mass for ‘Paul Yun Ji-chung and 123 Companion Martyrs’ on August 16, 2014. It is introduced as the second pilgrimage stop on Course 2 ‘Way of Life’ of the Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route.

History

According to the Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization, the cause for the beatification of the 124 martyrs was pursued jointly after the Committee was established on October 18, 2001, and the beatification inquiry tribunal was established on July 5, 2004 and closed on May 20, 2009. The inquiry documents were received by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on June 3, 2009, and on February 7, 2014 Pope Francis approved the decree of the Congregation deciding the beatification.

According to the same source, Pope Francis celebrated the beatification Mass at Gwanghwamun Square on August 16, 2014 and proclaimed the beatification of the 124 martyrs. The memorial of the 124 Blesseds is observed every year on May 29. It explains that the 124 martyrs are martyrs from the Sinhae Persecution (1791) to 1888, with martyrs from around the time of the Sinyu Persecution (1801) forming the central group.

Architecture and Space

According to the Catholic Times, a floor information plaque is placed at the beatification site. When the City of Seoul completed the Gwanghwamun Square restructuring project carried out over about 1 years and 9 months and reopened the square on August 6, 2022, the floor plaque was replaced from a stainless-steel finish to a bronze finish and officially unveiled. The new plaque was placed closer to the center of the square than its former location, and the standing sign explaining the meaning of the beatification of the 124 martyrs was also moved closer to the floor plaque. The standing sign records the historic significance of the beatification ceremony for the 124 martyrs held at Gwanghwamun, a symbolic site of the persecution of Catholics in the Joseon period.

Religious Meaning and Context for Visits

The Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route website explains that Gwanghwamun Square, where the Yukjo, the Six Ministries of Joseon, and various other government offices once stood, is being reborn as a sign of God’s forgiveness, changing from a place of persecution, suffering and misunderstanding toward innocent martyrs executed as ideological criminals into a place of recognition and reconciliation. Course 2 ‘Way of Life’ of this route is presented as 5.9km in total distance and 2 hours 30 minutes on foot, and the Gwanghwamun 124 Martyrs Beatification Site is introduced as the second pilgrimage stop.

Related Places and Figures

• Sites of the Hyeongjo, Uigeumbu and Jeonokseo: former government office sites where believers were interrogated and imprisoned during the persecution era, included in the same Course 2 Way of Life.
• Seosomun Martyrs’ Shrine Outside the Gate: a martyrs’ shrine included in the same Course 2 Way of Life.
• Paul Yun Ji-chung and 123 Companion Martyrs: the 124 Blesseds beatified at this place.

References and Sources

1. Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea), ‘Overview of the 124 Blesseds’. The process of promoting the beatification, the beatification Mass at Gwanghwamun Square on August 16, 2014, the May 29 memorial, and the composition of the martyrs by persecution were confirmed.
   https://cbck.or.kr/koreanmartyrs/124-Martyrs/Info
2. Catholic Times, ‘Replacement of the Floor Plaque at the Gwanghwamun Square 124 Martyrs Beatification Site’ (2022). The replacement of the floor plaque following the reopening of Gwanghwamun Square and the content of the standing sign were confirmed.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/202208090128986
3. Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route (seoulpilgrim.com), ‘Course 2: Way of Life’. The meaning of the Gwanghwamun 124 Martyrs Beatification Site and the distance, required time and order of pilgrimage stops of Course 2 were confirmed.
   https://seoulpilgrim.com/course/2/