Hauhyeon Catholic Church

Overview

Hauhyeon Church is a church in Wonteo Village, Cheonggye-dong, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Suwon. Set in the valley linking Cheonggyesan Mountain and the Gwanggyo mountain range, it began with a Catholic mission chapel hall built in 1894 and became a parish around 1900. The rectory built by the first pastor, Father Chapelain, was designated as Gyeonggi-do Monument No. 176 in January 2001. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records the patron of this church as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, while the Catholic News records that Father Beaulieu was enshrined as parish patron on September 5, 1982.

History

[Formation of a Catholic village] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia states that it is not certain when Catholic believers began to live in the Hauhyeon area. As high mountains such as Cheonggyesan and Gwanggyosan, deep valleys, and dense woods made it an ideal place for believers seeking a way to survive persecution, it is presumed that a Catholic village formed around the time of the persecutions. Kim Gi-ho (John), a lay mission president who had retired to Hauhyeon, wrote in Bonggyojasul, written in 1901, “Poor believers gathered and lived in Hauhyeon around the time of the turmoil.” Uiwang City cultural tourism materials and the Catholic News report that believers sometimes dug into the earth and lived in dugout huts, so the place was also called ‘Toguri’ or ‘Togulli.’ Uiwang City materials explain that the place was once the site of a post station called Dongyangwon and is now also called Wonteo, and record that Father Mutel and others made regular pastoral visits to evangelize, and that when the Korean Catholic Church was still under persecution, Father Mutel disguised himself in mourning clothes and visited Hauhyeon in secret.

[Martyrs of this area] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Han Deok-un (Thomas), who lived in Uirilli, Gwangju (now Hagui-dong, Uiwang-si), was arrested during the Sinyu Persecution and beheaded at Namhansanseong on January 31, 1802, and Kim Jun-won (Anicetus), who lived in Hauhyeon, was arrested in September 1845 and martyred at Namhansanseong in December. Father Beaulieu (B. L. Beaulieu, Seo Mol-lye), who was staying in Myoron-ri, Gwangju (now Unjung-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si), hid in the Gura-wi cave at Duntori on the mountainside of Cheonggyesan during the Byeongin Persecution, was arrested, and martyred at Saenamteo on March 7, 1866. The Catholic News reports that Father Beaulieu, born in Langon in the Diocese of Bordeaux, France, was ordained to the priesthood in 1863 and set foot on Korean soil 2 years later, ministered the sacraments to believers in the Moenon-ri Catholic village while learning Korean, and that the Byeongin Persecution broke out immediately after he received a new post from Bishop Berneux in February 1866. According to the same article, for the safety of the believers the priest hid in a cave on the mountainside of Cheonggyesan but was betrayed by the cook Jang Je-cheol, arrested in the Gura-wi cave at Duntori on February 27, executed by military beheading at Saenamteo on March 7, and was 25 years old at the time.

[Establishment of the mission chapel and construction of the hall] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the Hauhyeon Catholic village was broken up by persecution but a Catholic mission chapel was re-established in 1884, and that when the Gatdeungi (now Wangrim) parish was established in July 1888, Hauhyeon came under its jurisdiction. Seeing that Hauhyeon believers held mission-chapel services in private homes without a mission-chapel hall, Father Alix (J. Alix), the 2th pastor of the Gatdeungi parish, promoted construction of a new hall, and in May 1894 a thatched wooden hall of 10 bays was built with funds contributed by Father Alix and 1,500 nyang raised by the believers. The Catholic News reports that Father Alix, who visited the Hauhyeon mission chapel in 1893, accepted the petition of President Kim Gi-ho and other mission-chapel believers and decided to build the hall, and that the blessing ceremony was held on June 2, 1894. Uiwang City materials record that Kim Yun-jung (Peter) was elected as the first mission-chapel president in 1893. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that after the hall was built the Church grew rapidly, and as it was near Seoul and scenic it became known as a resort for priests, where French missionaries often stayed for several days to learn Korean or to rest.

[Elevation to a parish] The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the Hauhyeon mission chapel was elevated to a parish around September 1900 and Father Chapelain (O. Chapelain, Chae Si-geol) took office as first pastor. At its establishment its jurisdiction covered Gwangju, Yongin, Gwacheon and other areas, with 16 mission chapels and 1,105 believers. Father Chapelain used the existing mission-chapel hall as the church while newly building a rectory, but was dismissed after conflict with the believers. The Catholic News explains that the Wangrim parish separated the Mirinae parish 8 years after its establishment and the Hauhyeon parish 12 years after, and that the Hauhyeon parish continued to use the 1894 mission-chapel hall as it was. The same article reports that the zeal of Hauhyeon parishioners at the time was so great that the church was crowded every Sunday and about 500 people, nearly half of all believers, attended Mass on major feasts. The number of believers rose to 1,109 in 1901 and 2,418 in 1911, then fell to 1,086 in 1922 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia Church statistics).

[Changes of the parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Le Gac (C. Le Gac, Gwak Won-ryang) took office as the 2th pastor in March 1906, and Father Perrin (P. Perrin, Baek Mun-pil) became the 3th pastor on April 27, 1912. Father Perrin was mobilized for World War 1 in 1914 and left for France, after which Father Kim Won-yeong (Augustinus) of the Haengju parish cared for the Gatdeungi parish and also ministered to the Hauhyeon parish. Father Yun Ye-won (Thomas), who took office as the 4th pastor on May 23, 1920, opened the Gyeongae Training Center, a 4-year elementary course, in the parish to combat illiteracy among residents and teach new enlightenment ideas, but after Father Yun was transferred to the Okcheon parish the center closed for financial difficulties. When the 5th pastor, Father Bouyssou (P. Bouyssou, Son I-seop), was transferred as professor of the major seminary in October 1930, Hauhyeon became a mission chapel of the Suwon (now Buksu-dong) parish; in August 1937 Father Kim Gyeong-min (Ludovicus) took office as the 6rd pastor and it revived as a parish, but when Father Kim was transferred to the Jaeryeong parish in Hwanghae-do in January 1943 it became a mission chapel again. Father Hwang Jeong-su (Joseph), who took office as the 7th pastor in December of the same year, also took charge of the Nonsan (now Buchang-dong) parish from April 1944, returned to Hauhyeon in October of the same year, and when he was transferred to the Pyeongtaek parish in October 1951, Hauhyeon became a mission chapel under the Yeongdeungpo (now Dorim-dong) parish.

[Move to Anyang and construction of the present church] In December 1953 Father Gu Cheon-u (Joseph) took office as the 8th pastor and the Hauhyeon mission chapel became a parish again. Father Gu sought to move the parish from mountainous Hauhyeon to Anyang town with greater potential for growth, built a church in Anyang on March 7, 1954, and took office as first pastor of the Anyang (now Jungang) parish on September 7. Thus the Hauhyeon parish became a mission chapel under the Anyang parish, while the church and rectory were preserved as they were and used as a resort for priests (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia). Father Kim Yeong-geun (Peter), who was resting in Hauhyeon after retirement, saw that the church was dilapidated and at risk of collapse, received building materials from a U.S. military unit in 1965 and newly built the present church; Father Spies, then pastor of the Guro-dong (now Guro 3-dong) parish, played a major role between Father Kim and the U.S. unit. Uiwang City materials and the Good News Holy Places guide also record that Father Kim Yeong-geun newly built the present church in 1965 with building materials donated by a U.S. military unit.

[Revival as a parish and the present] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, when the Gunpo (now Hogye-dong) parish was separated and established from the Anyang parish in December 1975, the Hauhyeon mission chapel became a mission chapel under the Gunpo parish, then revived as a parish effective June 25, 1978, with Father Spies (R. Spies, Pa Hyeon-u) taking office as the 9th pastor. Father Spies improved the parish environment through repair of the rectory and meeting room (July 1979), creation of a Way of the Cross garden with 14 stations (September 1983), repair of the church (October 1984), erection of a statue of Saint Louis Beaulieu (June 1987), and erection of a Sacred Heart statue inside the church (October 1989); prepared a convent building on October 1, 1991; and held the 100th anniversary of the Hauhyeon mission-chapel foundation on October 16, 1993. Father Han Yeon-heum (Daniel), the 10nd pastor, took office in January 2000, and during his tenure the rectory was designated as Gyeonggi-do Monument No. 176 in January 2001, with rectory repair and landscaping carried out in July 2004 and June 2005 respectively. The Good News Holy Places guide records that a Marian garden and rosary path were created behind the church in 2012. The Catholic News describes it as a small parish with 180 believers as of 2019, while Uiwang City materials record about 200 people.

[Patron saint] According to the Catholic News, the Hauhyeon parish formally enshrined Father Ludovicus Beaulieu as parish patron on September 5, 1982, and erected a monument to honor his spirit. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records the patron of this parish as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, so the two sources differ. The Good News Holy Places guide records that in front of the rectory there are a monument and statue to Saint Louis Beaulieu, who was martyred in the Byeongin Persecution in 1866, explaining that this is because the saint mainly ministered near Hauhyeon and was arrested in the Duntori cave on Cheonggyesan and martyred.

[Successive pastors] The successive pastors recorded in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are first O. Chapelain (1900.9–1906.2), 2th C. Le Gac (1906.3–1912.4), 3th P. Perrin (1912.4–1914.8), 4th Thomas Yun Ye-won (1920.5–1927.9), 5th Peter Bouyssou (1928.5–1930.10), 6rd Ludovicus Kim Gyeong-min (1937.8–1943.1), 7th Joseph Hwang Jeong-su (1943.12–1951.10), 8th Joseph Gu Cheon-u (1953.12–1954.9), 9nd Raymundus Spies (1978.6–2000.1), and 10th Daniel Han Yeon-heum (2000.1–). Church statistics list 166 persons in 1978, 183 persons in 1980, 157 persons in 1985, 186 persons in 1990, 234 persons in 1995, 183 persons in 2000, and 167 persons in 2003.

Architecture and Space

The Catholic News records that the church building was newly built as a mission-chapel hall in 1965. The paper introduces the church as one entered shoeless with floor seating, with fewer than 100 seats, and with a Bible and hymnal on each single desk. To the right of the church there is a Way of the Cross with 14 stations arranged like a small garden.

The rectory is a Korean-French eclectic building with a Western-style stone body and traditional Korean roof tiles on the roof (Catholic News, Good News Holy Places guide). The Catholic News records that it was designated as a Gyeonggi-do Monument because its plan, structure, and design were judged to have very high architectural historical value, while the Good News Holy Places guide explains it as a rare case mixing Korean and Western construction techniques in the early 20th century. The construction date differs by source. The Catholic News records that the first pastor, Father Chapelain, newly built it in 1904, while the Good News Holy Places guide and Uiwang City materials record that it was built in 1906. According to the Catholic News, at the time of construction the first French minister to Korea donated a bell and the blessing ceremony was held together with the dedication, and the present rectory is newly repainted through repair work in 2005. The National Heritage Portal lists this building under the name ‘Hauhyeon Church Rectory’ as a Gyeonggi-do Monument, with designation (registration) date January 22, 2001 and quantity marked as 1 building.

Related Places and Figures

• Gatdeungi (Wangrim) parish: the mother parish of Hauhyeon, established in July 1888, for which Father Alix, the 2th pastor, worked to have the Hauhyeon mission-chapel hall built in 1894 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father Beaulieu (Seo Mol-lye): a missionary arrested in the Duntori Gura-wi cave on Cheonggyesan in 1866 and martyred at Saenamteo, with a monument in the front garden of the rectory (Catholic News, Good News Holy Places guide).
• Han Deok-un (Thomas) and Kim Jun-won (Anicetus): believers arrested in this area and martyred at Namhansanseong (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father Chapelain (Chae Si-geol): a missionary who took office as first pastor of the Hauhyeon parish in September 1900 and built the rectory (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Father Kim Yeong-geun (Peter): a priest who, while resting in Hauhyeon after retirement, newly built the present church in 1965 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Uiwang City cultural tourism).
• Mirinae parish: a parish separated by the Wangrim parish 8 years after its establishment (Catholic News).
• Anyang (now Jungang) parish: a parish established by Father Gu Cheon-u in 1954 that made the Hauhyeon parish a mission chapel under its jurisdiction (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, “Hauhyeon Parish” (Vol. 12). Separation and establishment from the Gatdeungi parish around September 1900, successive priests, Church statistics, changes of the parish and construction of the present church, designation of the rectory as a Gyeonggi-do Monument, martyrs of the area.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/6707
2. Good News Catholic Holy Places, “Hauhyeon Church” (Holy places and historic sites). Thatched wooden hall in 1894, elevation to a parish in 1900, construction of the church in 1965, designation of the rectory as a Gyeonggi-do Monument in 2001, Marian garden in 2012, rectory style and monument to Saint Beaulieu.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2379
3. Catholic News, “[Tracing the Footsteps of Ancestors in Faith: Cultural Heritage Tour] (4) Hauhyeon Church and Rectory” (August 25, 2019, No. 3159, p. 4). Brief biography of Father Beaulieu, blessing of the hall on June 2, 1894, parish establishment in 1900, rectory construction in 1904, dedication of the patron in 1982, interior of the church.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/201908200104684
4. Uiwang City Cultural Tourism, “Hauhyeon Church.” Wonteo place name and Catholic village, mission-chapel presidency in 1893, hall construction in 1894, parish independence in 1900, rectory construction in 1906, designation as a Gyeonggi-do Monument on January 22, 2001.
   https://www.uiwang.go.kr/culture/UWTOURSEE0303
5. National Heritage Administration, National Heritage Portal “Hauhyeon Church Rectory.” Gyeonggi-do Monument, designation (registration) date January 22, 2001, 1 building.
   https://www.heritage.go.kr/heri/cul/culSelectDetail.do?ccbaCpno=2333101760000