Seokjeon Shrine

Overview

The Seokjeong Boreum Well is an old well in Bukchon, Gyedong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and is a Catholic historic site handed down in connection with Father James Zhou Wenmo, the first foreign missionary to the Korean Catholic Church. It is the eighth pilgrimage site on route 1, the “Path of the Word,” of the Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route.

History

The Martyrs Veneration Committee recounts that this old well in Bukchon was famous for its good-tasting water and was even used by the royal palace, and explains that it was called the Boreum Well because the unusual stone well was clear for 15 days and cloudy for 15 days. A Seoul City newsroom article notes that it was an important source of drinking water for Gyedong residents until piped water was introduced in Seoul. The Korea Tourism Organization introduces it as a well believed to date from the mid-Joseon period and as the oldest well in downtown Seoul apart from the royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine, explaining that it is no longer used because of the spread of piped water and groundwater contamination, and that its entrance is now blocked.

According to the Martyrs Veneration Committee, it is handed down that Father Zhou Wenmo hid at the house of Matthias Choe In-gil in Gyedong and conducted missionary work, giving baptisms with water from this well, until his martyrdom at Saenamteo in 1801. A Seoul City newsroom article states that it is handed down that Father Zhou Wenmo crossed the Yalu River in 1794 to enter the country, hid at Choe In-gil’s house to conduct missionary work, and gave baptisms with this water, and that after an arrest order was issued he took refuge at Kang Wan-suk’s house and preached for 6. The Martyrs Veneration Committee states that it is also known that in 1845, Father Andrew Kim Dae-geon, the first Korean priest, used this water as holy water during his short ministry in this area.

The Seoul Pilgrimage Route website introduces the tradition that, when many martyrs were killed during the Catholic persecutions, the taste of the water suddenly turned bitter and the well was not used for a time. A Seoul City newsroom article also notes the story that the well water tasted bitter during the persecution period.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

The Seokjeong Boreum Well is one stop on route 1, the “Path of the Word,” which tours the Gyedong area known as the place of Father Zhou Wenmo’s activities. The Martyrs Veneration Committee explains that this route was designed to invite reflection on the meaning of Father Zhou Wenmo’s sacrifice; the route is 8.7km in total and takes 3 hours and 40 minutes. The next pilgrimage site after this stop is Gahoe-dong Church.

Related Places and People

• Gahoe-dong Church: a nearby parish commemorating Father Zhou Wenmo’s first Mass, and the last pilgrimage site on route 1.
• Father James Zhou Wenmo: the first foreign missionary to the Korean Catholic Church.
• Matthias Choe In-gil: an early believer introduced as the owner of the house in Gyedong where Father Zhou Wenmo stayed.
• Site of the Left Podocheong: a pilgrimage site on the same route, connected with the attempted arrest of Father Zhou Wenmo in 1795.

References and Sources

1. Archdiocese of Seoul Martyrs Veneration Committee, “Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route: Path of the Word (Route 1)” entry on the Seokjeong Boreum Well. The nature and origin of the well’s name, the tradition of Father Zhou Wenmo’s baptisms, the tradition of Father Kim Dae-geon’s use of holy water, and the composition of the route were verified.
   https://martyrs.or.kr/_web/mpilgrims/aboutcourse.html?cidx=6
2. Seoul Catholic Pilgrimage Route (seoulpilgrim.com), “Route 1: Path of the Word.” The introduction as the eighth pilgrimage site and the tradition about the taste of the water during the persecution period were verified.
   https://seoulpilgrim.com/course/1/
3. Seoul Metropolitan Government, Nae Sonane Seoul, “Seokjeong Boreum Well, Gahoe-dong Church… In Search of Catholic History Sites” (Shin Byeong-ju, 2023). The explanation that it was a source of drinking water for Gyedong residents, the tradition of Father Zhou Wenmo’s baptisms, and the refuge at Kang Wan-suk’s house were verified.
   https://mediahub.seoul.go.kr/archives/2007291
4. Korea Tourism Organization, Visit Korea, “Seokjeong Boreum Well.” The explanation that it is believed to be a well dating from the mid-Joseon period and that it is no longer used and its entrance is blocked was verified.
   https://korean.visitkorea.or.kr/detail/ms_detail.do?cotid=3e693fe6-03b1-4c8f-a31e-6eb21f5f34c1