Mirinae Sanctuary

Overview

Mirinae Shrine is a shrine of the Catholic Diocese of Suwon located in Misan-ri, Yangseong-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. Mirinae, which was a Catholic village in the persecution era, became a martyrdom historic site when the body of Saint Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea, martyred in the Byeongo Persecution (1846), was buried there. The Diocese of Suwon introduces this place as the location of the tomb of Saint Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea and as a Catholic village of the persecution era. Within the shrine are the Memorial Church of Saint Kim Dae-geon Andrea the Priest, the Memorial Church for the Canonization of 103 Korean Martyrs, and Mirinae Saint Joseph Church, and Mirinae Parish is established together with the shrine.

History

Mirinae is a native Korean word meaning the Milky Way. The Diocese of Suwon and the City of Anseong explain that during the Sinyu Persecution (1801) and the Gihae Persecution (1839), Catholic believers from Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do hid here to keep their faith, firing earthenware or clearing slash-and-burn fields, and at night the lamplight lit in each house looked like the Milky Way, so it came to be called Mirinae. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture explains that Miicheon-ri (彌迤川里), listed under Geumgok-myeon in the Yangseong-hyeon section of the Gyeonggi-ji written around 1842–1843, written in Chinese characters for Mirinae, is the earliest record, and that it was later called Miricheon. In 1914, Miricheon in Yangseong-gun was merged with nearby Sanchon, Yaksan-ri in Gobuk-myeon, Yangji-gun, and others, and taking the first characters of Miricheon and Sanchon, it became Misan-ri.

A Catholic mission chapel centered on Chairman Choe had already been established in Mirinae before 1846, when Father Kim Dae-geon was martyred. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that from the end of 1845 until around Easter in 1846, for about 4–6 months, Father Kim Dae-geon traveled around Yongin, Icheon, Yangji, Gwangju and other areas centered on Mirinae, administering the sacraments to the faithful. The Catholic Times reports that after celebrating Easter Mass at the Euneo Catholic mission chapel in 1846, Father Kim Dae-geon headed for the West Sea to open an entry route for missionaries, was arrested on June 5 and transferred to the Haeju magistrate office. Father Kim Dae-geon was martyred by decapitation at Saenamteo on September 16, 1846. According to the Catholic Times, the Church honors as saints 9 people martyred in the Byeongo Persecution.

The Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization of the Korean Bishops Conference records that 40 days after his martyrdom, the body of Father Kim Dae-geon was recovered by the faithful and buried at Wase, behind the Yongsan post office, also called Waegogae, and on October 26 of that year, Seo Yakobo, Bak Baoro, Han Gyeong-seon, Na Chang-mun, Sin Chi-gwan, Yi Sado Yohan, Yi Min-sik Binchensio and others recovered the remains, moved them to Mirinae, and buried them on October 30. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture explains that about ten people, including Yi Min-sik (Binchensio) from nearby Geomeunjeong and faithful from Seoul, recovered the body at night, temporarily buried it at Munbaeburi or Waegogae, then crossed the Han River and passed through Gwacheon, Yangji and other places, burying it at Mirinae 40 days after martyrdom. The Catholic Times reports that Yi Min-sik, a 17-year-old young man then living in Mirinae, carried the remains on October 26, walking only at night over rugged mountain paths for over 150 ri, arriving in Mirinae on October 30, the fifth day. The Anseong City tourism guide describes Yi Min-sik as a 17-year-old boy and says he enshrined the body in this place, over 200 ri away, on October 30, 1846, on his own ancestral burial ground. The Diocese of Suwon states that Yi Min-sik moved the body of Father Kim Dae-geon from Saenamteo to this place, buried it, and donated his ancestral hill to the Church.

Later, Bishop Ferréol died in February 1853 (Bishops Conference sources describe him as the 4th head of the Joseon Diocese, while the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture describes him as the 3th Vicar Apostolic of Joseon), and according to Bishops Conference sources, in accordance with his will to be beside the holy martyr, he was buried in April of that year next to the tomb of Father Kim Dae-geon. Anseong City records that Bishop Ferréol was brought here on April 12, 1853. In May 1864, the body of Father Kim Dae-geon’s mother, Go Ursula, was enshrined here. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, Yi Min-sik, Father Kang Do-yeong (Marco), the first parish pastor of Mirinae Church, Father Choe Mun-sik (Bedeuro), the 3th parish pastor, and others were successively buried around the tomb area of Father Kim Dae-geon. Father Kim Dae-geon’s grave had been a place of private pilgrimage for believers since immediately after his martyrdom, and after Mirinae Parish was founded in 1896, it was changed by Father Kang Do-yeong into a place of public veneration.

For the beatification investigation, in 1886 the center of the burial mound of Father Kim Dae-geon in Mirinae was opened and the red cord was confirmed, and Bishops Conference sources state that on May 21, 1901 the remains were exhumed and moved to the Yongsan Sacred Heart Seminary. The Anseong City guide gives this reburial date as May 18, 1901. The Catholic Times reports that the remains were enshrined in 1960 at the Seongsin campus of the Catholic University in Hyehwa-dong, Seoul, and that Mirinae Shrine keeps part of the saint’s remains, including the lower jawbone.

The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture states that in the early 1860s, French missionaries including Father Calais and Father Aumaître stayed in Mirinae, learning the Korean language and customs and ministering to believers, but in 1866 the Byeongin Persecution temporarily destroyed the Catholic village here, and from around the opening of the ports believers gathered again, and Father Mutel visited in 1883 to administer the sacraments, thereby establishing it as the Mirinae Catholic mission chapel.

Mirinae Parish was established on April 26, 1896, when Bishop Mutel, then Vicar Apostolic of Joseon, sent Father Kang Do-yeong (Marco, 1863–1929), the third Korean ordained priest in the Korean Catholic Church, as the first parish pastor to the Mirinae Catholic mission chapel under the jurisdiction of Gatdeungi (Wangnim) Parish. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture explains that this was because the jurisdiction of Gatdeungi Parish was wide and its chapels and believers increased so that one parish could hardly minister to them, so a new parish was established centered on the Mirinae Catholic mission chapel to oversee Anseong, Yongin and surrounding areas. Father Kang Do-yeong ministered to the parish for about 33 years from 1896 to 1929, caring for the tomb area of Father Kim Dae-geon. In 1907 he founded Haeseong Academy for local residents and carried out an educational enlightenment movement, and around 1924 he built the Haeseong ritual-object factory near the church, encouraging residents to cultivate mulberry trees, and established a sericulture training center to spread silkworm-raising techniques. The Catholic Times introduces Mirinae Saint Joseph Church, dedicated in 1907, as a church associated with Father Kang Do-yeong.

The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that after the parish was established, at times no parish pastor was sent and it became a Catholic mission chapel of a nearby parish, but in 1976 the Mirinae religious order arrived and it became a formal parish through a quasi-parish. In the same year, 1976, the Diocese of Suwon moved to Mirinae Shrine the remains of unknown martyrs scattered in the Yongin area. Anseong City records that at that time, 12 people buried in neckless row graves at the foot of Eumdaran Mountain in Daedae 4-ri, Naesa-myeon, Yongin-si, and bodies brought from Handeokgol, Muk-ri, Idong-myeon, Yongin-si were enshrined, and the body brought from Handeokgol was later revealed to be Saint Yi Yun-il Yohan and was moved to Gwandeokjeong in the Archdiocese of Daegu, where he died.

After the Diocese of Suwon was established in 1963, an annual martyrs veneration festival has been held at Mirinae, and the work of making it a sacred site continued, including the construction in 1991 of a church commemorating the 103 Korean martyr saints canonized in 1984.

Architecture and Space

The Memorial Church of Saint Kim Dae-geon Andrea the Priest is a church built on the site of Father Kim Dae-geon’s tomb. Bishops Conference sources record that on the site of Father Kim Dae-geon’s original tomb, in 1928 a dedication ceremony was held for the Memorial Chapel of Blessed Father Kim Dae-geon Andrea to commemorate the beatification, and it was later dedicated as the Chapel of the Queen of Martyrs. According to Yonhap News, in 2020 the Diocese of Suwon changed the name from Memorial Chapel for the Beatification of 79 Korean Martyrs to Memorial Church of Saint Kim Dae-geon Andrea the Priest. The diocese explained that records confirm that when Father Kang Do-yeong built this place in 1928, its name was Memorial Chapel of the Blessed and it was open to all believers, and the renaming corrects the omission of Saint Kim Dae-geon’s significance in the process by which the name changed from Memorial Chapel of the Blessed to Memorial Chapel for the Beatification of 79 Korean Martyrs. The JoongAng Ilbo reported that on December 20, 2022 the Cultural Heritage Administration gave advance notice of the registration of this memorial church and tomb area as a national registered cultural heritage, and that the memorial church is a Gothic-style church 8 meters long and 4 meters wide. The Diocese of Suwon introduces this church as a nationally designated registered cultural heritage in 2023. The Catholic Times reports that in the front yard of the church stand the graves of four clerics: Father Kang Do-yeong, Father Kim Dae-geon, Bishop Ferréol, and Father Choe Mun-sik.

The Memorial Church for the Canonization of 103 Korean Martyrs was built in 1991 to commemorate the canonization in 1984 of 103 martyr blesseds including Father Kim Dae-geon. According to Bishops Conference sources, part of Saint Kim Dae-geon’s remains (a shinbone) is enshrined at the altar of this church, and the lower jawbone is kept in the Father Kim Dae-geon Memorial Church. The Catholic Times reports that above this altar is stained glass depicting the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, Father Kim Dae-geon and the saints. The Diocese of Suwon states that the sacred remains of Father Kim Dae-geon are kept in the Memorial Church of Saint Kim Dae-geon Andrea the Priest, the Memorial Church for the Canonization of 103 Korean Martyrs, and Mirinae Saint Joseph Church.

According to the Diocese of Suwon guide, the shrine has a Marian chapel, a Eucharistic adoration room, an exhibit room of martyrdom scenes and martyrdom frames, an outdoor Rosary Way, and an outdoor Way of the Cross. The Catholic Times reports that the Marian chapel has a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived without original sin and murals of the Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary, and that the Eucharistic adoration room was built in the shape of a Joseon-era gate from the time when Father Kim Dae-geon ministered and was named Heaven Gate. The same article explains that from the shrine entrance to the memorial church where Father Kim Dae-geon’s tomb is located takes over 20 minutes on foot for an adult, and sculptures containing the mysteries of the Rosary guide the way. The Diocese of Suwon notes that various living things, including wild grasses, fireflies, and natural monuments, inhabit the natural forest of the shrine.

The Anseong City tourism guide notes that this place is known as a filming location for the tvN drama Goblin.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture explains that Mirinae Church functions as a parish ministering to nearby believers while also serving as a shrine (pilgrimage ministry) honoring the martyrdom faith of Father Kim Dae-geon and the unknown martyrs. It evaluates that from its early foundation in the late 19 century through the Japanese occupation period, it was a central church for regional evangelization reaching from Anseong to Yongin, Icheon, and Gwangju, and that after the Diocese of Suwon was established in 1963 and it became a parish under it, it became a source of martyrdom devotion where an annual martyrs veneration festival is held. The Diocese of Suwon states that this place gained important meaning in the Church when the remains of Father Kim Dae-geon, selected in 2021 as a UNESCO world commemorative figure, were buried in Mirinae by Yi Min-sik, and that with the transfer of the remains of unknown martyrs in 1976, it became a representative shrine where the martyrdom history of the Korean Catholic Church and the flow of martyrs veneration can be seen at a glance.

According to the Diocese of Suwon guide, a walking pilgrimage route (10.3km) has been created from Euneo Shrine to Mirinae Shrine, which was the path Father Kim Dae-geon ministered on and the path by which his remains were carried. The Catholic Times (November 2024) reports that this path crosses the passes of Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Related Places and People

• Euneo and Golbaemasil Shrine: This is the shrine in Yongin where the Euneo Catholic mission chapel, where Father Kim Dae-geon was selected as a seminarian and carried out his first ministry after priestly ordination, and Golbaemasil, where he grew up, are located. It is connected to Mirinae Shrine by a walking pilgrimage route (10.3km).
• Saint Kim Dae-geon Andrea (1821–1846): He is the first Korean priest and martyr. He was martyred at Saenamteo on September 16, 1846 and was canonized in 1984.
• Yi Min-sik Binchensio: He is a believer from the Mirinae Catholic village who moved the body of Father Kim Dae-geon from Saenamteo to Mirinae and buried it. His grave is in the shrine.
• Bishop Ferréol: As the head of the Joseon Diocese who ordained Father Kim Dae-geon to the priesthood, he died in 1853 and was buried beside the tomb of Father Kim Dae-geon.
• Father Kang Do-yeong Marco: As the third priest of the Korean Catholic Church and the first parish pastor of Mirinae Parish, he ministered to the parish from 1896 to 1929.
• Father Choe Mun-sik Bedeuro: He is the 3th parish pastor of Mirinae Parish.

References and Sources

1. Catholic Diocese of Suwon, Introduction to Shrines: Mirinae Shrine. Confirmed the origin of the place name, the tombs of Father Kim Dae-geon and related persons, the transfer of unknown martyrs in 1976, shrine facilities, the Euneo–Mirinae walking pilgrimage route, and the designation of the memorial church as a national registered cultural heritage in 2023.
   https://www.casuwon.or.kr/holyland/intro/9
2. Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization, Korean Bishops Conference, Related Shrine: Mirinae Shrine. Confirmed the circumstances of the burial of Father Kim Dae-geon’s body, the transfer of remains in 1901, and the construction of the memorial chapel in 1928 and the canonization memorial church in 1991.
   https://cbck.or.kr/koreanmartyrs/Shrines/42
3. Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, Mirinae Church. Confirmed the background of the parish foundation in 1896, the activities of Father Kang Do-yeong, the process of establishing the Catholic mission chapel, and the promotion to a formal parish in 1976.
   https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0069928
4. Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, Mirinae Catholic Historic Sites. Confirmed place-name records, the circumstances of Father Kim Dae-geon’s burial and the persons in the tomb area, and the process of making it a sacred site.
   https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0069927
5. Catholic Times, [Korean Church History Met in the Diocese] (17) Mirinae Shrine: Byeongo Persecution (January 30, 2024). Confirmed the arrest and martyrdom of Father Kim Dae-geon and the course of the enshrinement of his remains.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/202401300233659
6. Catholic Times, [Pilgrimage, Walking and Praying] Suwon Diocese Mirinae Shrine (November 13, 2024). Confirmed shrine facilities, persons in the tomb area, and the current status of enshrined remains.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/20241108500081
7. Yonhap News, [Religious News] Mirinae Shrine Restores Name Kim Dae-geon Memorial Church (November 2, 2020). Confirmed the background of the memorial church name change.
   https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20201102128200005
8. JoongAng Ilbo, Kim Dae-geon Church and Tomb Area to Become Cultural Heritage (December 20, 2022). Confirmed the advance notice of national registered cultural heritage registration and the size and style of the memorial church.
   https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25127325
9. Anseong City Hall, Anseong Attractions: Mirinae Shrine. Confirmed the shrine history and tomb area and the transfer of unknown martyrs.
   https://www.anseong.go.kr/tour/themeTourist/view.do?idx=181&mId=0104000000