Hwangsayeong Martyrdom Pilgrimage Site

Overview

The Hwang Sa-yeong Martyrdom Pilgrimage Shrine is a pilgrimage shrine of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, and is the grave of the Servant of God and martyr Hwang Sa-yeong Alexio (1775~1801), located in the ancestral burial grounds of the Changwon Hwang clan at Gamagol in Bugok-ri, Jangheung-myeon, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Hwang Sa-yeong is the central figure of the “Baekseo (Silk Letter),” which described the reality of the 1801 Shinyu Persecution and proposed countermeasures in an attempt to send it to the Bishop of Beijing, and his beatification process is underway.

History

Although Hwang Sa-yeong’s body, after he had suffered death by dismemberment, was with difficulty buried in the Hwang clan’s ancestral burial grounds, it came to be forgotten even within the family. According to the Good News introduction to the shrine, in 1980 a descendant of the Hwang family examined genealogical records and other historical materials, obtained historical verification, and located the grave in the family burial grounds at Hongboksan; during the excavation, a jar containing a stone cross and silk bands (toshi, arm covers) was found, confirming the identity of the grave’s occupant. The Diocese of Uijeongbu states that, after confirming the burial at the time of the first excavation, it did not proceed further in order to excavate in accordance with canonical procedures, and limited itself to preparing the present tomb.

The Diocese of Uijeongbu developed the “Way of the Martyrs,” a walking route from Uijeongbu Cathedral over Sapasan Mountain to the gravesite of Saint Nam Jong-sam and the grave of martyr Hwang Sa-yeong, and, centered on Songchu Church, offered pilgrimage and Mass on the last Saturday of each month. On August 2018 it designated Songchu Church as a pilgrimage site for the gravesite of Saint John Nam Jong-sam and his family martyrs and the gravesite of martyr Alexio Hwang Sa-yeong, and by the personnel appointment dated August 30, 2024 it appointed a priest in charge of the Hwang Sa-yeong Martyrdom Pilgrimage Shrine.

Religious Significance and Visiting Context

In 1790 Hwang Sa-yeong passed the jinsa licentiate examination, and in the same year, after marrying Maria Jeong Myeong-ryeon, daughter of Jeong Yak-hyeon, elder brother of Augustine Jeong Yak-jong, he learned the catechism from his wife’s maternal uncles and his wife’s aunt’s husband Peter Yi Seung-hun and entered the Church. Afterwards he gave up the civil service examinations and devoted himself to studying doctrine, and received the sacraments from Father James Ju Mun-mo, who had entered the country in late 1794, and was active as a member of the Myeongdohoe.

When an arrest order was issued during the 1801 Shinyu Persecution, he hid in a hut in Baeron, Jecheon, and wrote the “Baekseo,” which contained religious freedom and plans for rebuilding the Church. The “Baekseo” was discovered while being transmitted, and he was arrested in Baeron on November 5, 1801 (lunar September 29) and martyred outside Seosomun on December 10, 1801 (lunar November 5) at the age of 26. During interrogation he stated that his purpose in writing the “Baekseo” had been to obtain freedom of religion. His wife Jeong Myeong-ryeon was exiled as a government slave to Daejeong-hyeon on Jeju, and his only son Hwang Gyeong-han was left on Chuja Island.

His baptismal name was known as “Aleksandel” in Bishop Daveluy’s memorandum and in Dallet’s “History of the Catholic Church in Korea,” but research on Church history in the 1990s revealed it to be “Alexio.” Hwang Sa-yeong is being promoted for beatification as one of the “Servant of God John the Baptist Yi Byeok and 132 Companions.”

Related Places and People

• Songchu Church: the parish designated on August 2018 as a pilgrimage site for this grave and the gravesite of Saint John Nam Jong-sam and his family
• Gravesite of Saint John Nam Jong-sam and his family: a nearby pilgrimage site visited together along the “Way of the Martyrs”
• Baeron Shrine: the place where Hwang Sa-yeong hid and wrote the “Baekseo”
• Seosomun Outside Martyrs’ Shrine: the place where Hwang Sa-yeong was martyred
• Maria Jeong Myeong-ryeon and Hwang Gyeong-han: Hwang Sa-yeong’s wife and son

References and Sources

1. Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, Shrines - Grave of the Servant of God and Martyr Alexio Hwang Sa-yeong. Martyrdom in 1801, exile of his wife Jeong Myeong-ryeon to Daejeong-hyeon on Jeju and his son Hwang Gyeong-han, meaning of the “Baekseo,” background to the confirmation of the baptismal name “Alexio,” halting excavation for canonical procedures and preparing the tomb, and confirmation that the beatification process is underway.
   http://ucatholic.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=holyland&wr_id=96
2. Good News (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea), Catholic Shrines - Grave of Martyr Alexio Hwang Sa-yeong. Confirmation of the grave’s location in 1980 and discovery of the jar with the stone cross and silk bands, hiding in the Baeron hut and the Baekseo incident, the “Way of the Martyrs” and designation of Songchu Church as a pilgrimage site on August 2018, and confirmation of the appointment of the priest in charge on August 30, 2024.
   https://m.catholic.or.kr/web/holyplace/?seq=2284
3. Episcopal Special Commission for Beatification and Canonization of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, Brief Biographies of 133 Candidates for Beatification - Alexio Hwang Sa-yeong. Birth in 1775, passing the jinsa examination and marriage to Jeong Myeong-ryeon and entry into the Church in 1790, activities with Father Ju Mun-mo and the Myeongdohoe, writing of the Baekseo, and confirmation of arrest on November 5, 1801 and martyrdom outside Seosomun on December 10 (at age 26).
   https://cbck.or.kr/koreanmartyrs/133-Martyrs/18