Yongsan Jesus Sacred Heart School

Overview

The site of the Yongsan Sacred Heart Seminary in Wonhyo-ro 4-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is where the modern seminary building of the Korean Catholic Church and its attached church stand. Good News introduces it as a shrine and historic site named ‘Yongsan Sacred Heart Seminary (Old Yongsan Seminary Church)’. The seminary building is regarded as the oldest surviving seminary building in Korea, and the building and the church are each designated historic sites by the Korea Heritage Service. They are now used by Sacred Heart Academy and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

History

Good News traces the origin of the Korean Catholic seminary to St. Joseph Seminary, founded in Baeron, Chungcheong-do in 1855, explaining that this seminary was closed during the Byeongin Persecution in 1866. The Sacred Heart Seminary was later re-established in Buunggol, Wonju, Gangwon-do on October 28, 1885, and moved in March 1887 to the vicinity of Hambyeokjeong in Yongsan, Seoul (present-day Wonhyo-ro 4-ga). The history of the School of Theology at the Catholic University of Korea records the same account.

The construction date of the seminary building differs by source. Good News and the ‘Seoul Wonhyo-ro Sacred Heart Church’ entry in the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture state that the seminary building was built in 1892, while the same encyclopedia’s ‘Seoul Yongsan Seminary’ entry states that the building was completed in 1911, when the number of students had grown to 96. Construction of the church began in May 1899 and it was dedicated on April 14, 1902.

On April 26, 1896, Fathers Kang Seong-sam, Jeong Gyu-ha and Gang Do-yeong were ordained to the priesthood at Yakhyeon Church, which the Catholic University history records as the first ordination held in Korea. At the end of 1928, it was decided to divide the seminary into a major seminary and a minor seminary. Yongsan Seminary had its teaching suspended by the Japanese authorities on February 16, 1942, and the Catholic Church opened a branch of St. Mary’s Hospital here in 1944. In 1945, agreement was reached to exchange the Hyehwa-dong site and the former Yongsan Seminary site, ending the ‘Yongsan era’ of the major seminary and opening the ‘Hyehwa-dong era’. The Sisters of the Sacred Heart, who entered Korea in July 1956, settled here and used it as a convent and school corporation office.

According to the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, these buildings were designated as historic sites in 1977 and then re-designated separately as ‘Seoul Yongsan Seminary’ and ‘Seoul Wonhyo-ro Sacred Heart Church’ on June 20, 2012. Good News gives 1982 as the designation year, so the sources differ.

Architecture and Space

The Yongsan Seminary building is a Georgian-style brick building with 1 semi-basement floor and 2 floors above ground, built to take advantage of the sloping site. The facade is divided into 7 bays in total, with 3 bays on each side of the central entrance, each bay fitted with a round-arched window. The walls are laid in red brick, with gray brick used for the columns, eaves, horizontal string courses and window surrounds. Design and supervision were undertaken by Father Coste of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, who designed Myeongdong Church. Although once extended, it has been restored to its original appearance and is used as corporation office space and the Sacred Heart Memorial Hall.

The Wonhyo-ro Sacred Heart Church was built using the hill so that it is 3 stories below the hill on the south side and 2 stories on the convent side. The main entrance is set to one side rather than in the center, creating asymmetry, and the interior is a simple hall-type church with only an altar and nave. The pointed-arch windows and the small spire on the roof show a simplified Gothic style. Because it was a seminary附属 church, there is no narthex at the front entrance and the entrances are on both sides near the altar. The national heritage history records conservation and restoration of the stained glass in 2015.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

According to Good News, the Old Yongsan Seminary Church was where the remains of all 8 bishops who had headed the Joseon Diocese were interred, and the remains of several martyr missionaries, including Fathers Maubant and Chastan, also passed through here. These remains were later moved to the Hyehwa-dong Seminary Church, Myeongdong Cathedral, Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine and elsewhere, and the remains of successive diocesan heads were buried in the Yongsan Clergy Cemetery.

The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that the remains of Father Kim Dae-geon were kept in this church from June 23, 1902 until their transfer to Hyehwa-dong on July 5, 1960. The inscription on the upper interior of the church entrance bears Father Kim Dae-geon’s initials and life dates in Latin letters.

Related Places and People

• Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine
• Catholic University Songsin Campus
• Yakhyeon Church
• Myeongdong Cathedral

References and Sources

1. Academy of Korean Studies, Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, ‘Seoul Yongsan Seminary’. Confirmed the background of the seminary’s relocation, completion of the building in 1911, Georgian style and structure, changes after its closure in 1942, and designation as a historic site in 2012.
   https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0039526
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, ‘Seoul Wonhyo-ro Sacred Heart Church’. Confirmed the start of construction in 1899, dedication on April 14, 1902, the form of the church, and the period when Father Kim Dae-geon’s remains were kept there.
   https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0072989
3. Good News (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea), Shrines and Historic Sites, ‘Yongsan Sacred Heart Seminary (Old Yongsan Seminary Church)’. Confirmed the origin and relocation of the seminary and the interment of the remains of successive diocesan bishops.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2293
4. Catholic University of Korea, School of Theology, History. Confirmed the re-establishment in 1885, the move to Yongsan in 1887, the ordination in 1896, the suspension of teaching in 1942, and the agreement to exchange sites in 1945.
   https://songsin.catholic.ac.kr/seminarium/unitycircle/timeline.do
5. Korea Heritage Service, National Heritage Digital Service, ‘Seoul Wonhyo-ro Sacred Heart Church’. Confirmed construction in 1902, design and supervision by Father Coste, building features and conservation history in 2015.
   https://digital.khs.go.kr/heri/heriDetail.do?ctptNo=1331105210000&ctptUid=13898859679024301128