Nabawi Catholic Church

Overview

Nabawi Church is a church in Hwasan-ri, Mangseong-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeonbuk, belonging to the Jeonju Diocese. It was established as a parish in 1897, and its patron is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is known as the place where Kim Dae-geon, the first Korean priest, first set foot at Nabawi in Hwangsanpo on October 12, 1845, and the church building was designated in 1987 as Historic Site No. 318.

History

〔Landing of Father Kim Dae-geon〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that Hwasan-ri lies 2 km from Hwangsanpo, where Father Kim Dae-geon entered the country with Bishop Ferréol, the 3th head of the Joseon Diocese, and Father Daveluy on October 12, 1845 (Heonjong 11). Good News Catholic Information records that Father Kim Dae-geon received priestly ordination at Jinjiaxiang Church in Shanghai on August 17, 1845, and on August 31 boarded the small wooden boat Raphael with 11 faithful, accompanying Bishop Ferréol and Father Daveluy for the return voyage, dropping anchor near Hwasan at Nabawi in Hwangsanpo, a short distance from Ganggyeong, on October 12. The Jeonju Diocese explains that when Father Vermorel built the church he had no thought of commemorating Father Kim Dae-geon and his party, but later this place became known as the landing place of Father Kim Dae-geon.

〔Establishment of the Mission Chapel and Parish〕 The Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia records that the Nabawi Catholic mission chapel was established in 1882, and it was established as a parish belonging to the Jeonju Diocese on May 8, 1897. Its name at establishment was Hwasan Church, and because it shared the same name as Hwasan Church in Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, it was renamed Nabawi Church in 1989. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that the parish name, then called both Hwasan and Nabawi, was fixed as Nabawi, the original name at establishment, in February 1989.

〔First Pastor, Father Vermorel〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Vermorel (J. Vermorel), who took office as the first pastor, found no faithful in the Ganggyeong area, so he resided at the Andae-dong Catholic mission chapel in Yongan-gun while looking for a church site, and bought a 12-bay tile-roofed house from Kim Yeo-san, converting the inner house into the rectory, the outer house into the church, and the gate-row house into the church office. He purchased Hwasan, owned by Minister Seo Sun-hwan, together with its attached paddies and fields, laying the foundation of the parish. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that Father Vermorel first stayed at the Andae-dong Catholic mission chapel and in July 1897 purchased the house and annex buildings of Kim Yeo-san below Hwasan, settling at Nabawi. The Catholic Newspaper explains that this pattern, in which the priest’s residence itself became the church, is a typical example from the 1880s onward.

〔Ganggyeongpo Incident〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in April 1899 a trivial quarrel between the Catholic believer Kim Chi-mun and the non-believer Jo Heung-do briefly put Father Vermorel and the parishioners in danger. Bishop Mutel, who received a telegram from Father Baudounet of Jeondong Parish in Jeonju, who did not know that Father Vermorel had been released, requested through the French minister the rescue of the missionary and an investigation of the incident, so the ‘Ganggyeongpo Incident’ spread into a diplomatic issue. With prison sentences imposed on 3 ringleaders, it was concluded in 6 months, and the encyclopedia explains that the incident arose from a tangle of local prejudice against the Church, missionary protection rights based on extraterritoriality and Joseon’s diplomatic problems, and reliance on the Church by some believers.

〔Construction of the New Church and Separations〕 The Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia records that the early Nabawi Church operated in a remodeled private house purchased by Father Vermorel, that construction was planned from 1905, and that a new church was built in December 1907. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that construction began in 1906 and was completed in 1907, and the National Heritage Digital Service records it as a building erected in 1906. The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia and the Catholic Newspaper (February 23, 1997 issue) record that Bishop Demange visited on September 18, 1911 and consecrated this church. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Andae-dong Parish (now Hamyeol) was established and separated in 1910, Gunsan Parish (now Dunyul-dong) in 1929, and Iri Parish (now Changin-dong) in 1935 from Nabawi Parish, and Yeosan Parish was newly established and separated in 1959. The Catholic Newspaper records that through vigorous evangelization, with 3,200 faithful in 1929, Nabawi Parish at one time became the largest parish in the country.

〔School and the Japanese Occupation〕 The Korean Catholic Encyclopedia records that Gyemyeong School was opened in August 1908 to combat illiteracy, that the school underwent its 1th closure in 1937, and that it was fully closed on November 6, 1947. Good News records that it founded Gyemyeong School in 1907 and led the patriotic enlightenment movement under Japanese oppression until its closure in 1947, and the Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia records that in 1949 the Gyemyeong School building was demolished and its materials used to build the convent. According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in the summer of 1941 parish priest Kim Yeong-ho was arrested and imprisoned by Japanese police for refusing Shinto shrine worship. Good News records that during the 6–25 War, parish priest Father Kim Hu-sang did not flee but continued to celebrate Mass, so Mass was celebrated daily except for only a few days.

〔Sisters and Dispensary〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, in August 1949 a branch of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres was opened, establishing and operating a kindergarten and dispensary, and in 1957 a new auditorium was built and a clinic for the extremely poor was opened. When the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres were divided into the Seoul and Daegu Provinces in 1967, and the sisters belonging to the Seoul Province withdrew in February the following year, the clinic and kindergarten run by the parish also closed. The Catholic Newspaper records that the dispensary cared for the health of poor farmers from 1949 until its closure in 1987.

〔Monuments and Retreat〕 According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, a monument honoring Father Vermorel was erected in 1954, and the following year, on October 12, 1955, the unveiling of the martyrdom monument for Father Kim Dae-geon and the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the church’s construction were held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Father Kim Dae-geon’s landing at Hwangsanpo. On March 5, 1989, the ‘Nabawi Parish 100th Anniversary Project Preparation Committee’ was organized, in October 1989 a branch of the Sisters of Charity of Seton was opened, and within the church grounds stands the ‘Nabawi House of Retreat’ erected by the diocese. Good News records that the House of Retreat was built in 1991, and the Catholic Newspaper (February 23, 1997 issue) records that the House of Retreat was completed in 1991 as a project marking the 100th anniversary of the parish’s establishment. The Catholic Newspaper (article in 2020) records that the parish holds the ‘Commemoration of the First Landing in Joseon by St. Father Kim Dae-geon and His Party’ every year on October 12, carrying the saint’s relics in veneration over 3.5 km from the Raphael entry route to the church.

〔Church Strength and Present Status〕 The church strength recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia is in 1898 1,514 faithful, in 1910 3,020 faithful, in 1953 1,823 faithful, in 1963 1,788 faithful, in 1973 1,281 faithful, in 1983 1,180 faithful, and in 1993 971 faithful, with jurisdiction over Mangseong-myeon, Iksan-gun at the time and affiliated Catholic mission chapels at 5 places: Sindeok, Geumji, Sinyong, Gwansan, and Nangcheong. The Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia records that as of August 2019, Father Yang Seung-uk (Roberto) was serving as pastor, with 193 households and 558 faithful (261 men and 297 women), and no affiliated Catholic mission chapels.

〔Successive Pastors〕 The priests listed in the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia are: first, Joseph Vermorel (J. Vermorel) (1897–1919); 2th, Hippolyto Saucet (H. Saucet) (1919.8–1921.10); 3th, Theophilo Parthenay (T. Parthenay) (1921.10–1922.5); 4th, Joseph Cadars (J. Cadars) (1922.5–1929.6); 5th, Joseph Yi Yak-seul (1929.6–1936.6); 6th, Paul Seo Byeong-ik (1936.6–1938.6); 7th, Melchior Kim Yeong-ho (1938.6–1942); 8th, Bartholomeo Kim Hyeon-bae (1942.5–1944.12); 9th, Peter Kim Myeong-je (1944.12–1947.4); 10th, Peter Kim Yeong-gu (1947.4–1948.8); 11th, Paul Kim Hu-sang (1948.8–1954.10); 12th, Augustino Kim Jae-deok (1954.10–1955.7); 13th, Thaddeo Heo Il-rok (1955.7–10); 14th, Dominico Kim Yeong-tae (1955.10–1960.7); 15th, Paul Yi Dae-gwon (1960.7–1964.6); 16th, Francisco Ko Gyeong-hun (1964.6–1966.4); 17th, Alberto Oh Gi-sun (1966.4–1969.4); 18th, Balthasar Kim Yeong-il (1969.4–1971.4); 19th, Joseph Song Nam-ho (1971.4–1975.1); 20th, Andrea Kim Jin-so (1975.1–1977.6); 21th, Antonio Gwon Yeong-gyun (1977.6–1982.9); 22th, Gabriel Park Jong-sang (1982.9–1986.1); 23th, Raphael Kim Jong-gil (1986.1–1989.1); 24th, Mathia Beom Seok-gyu (1989.1–1992.1); and 25th, Peter Eom Gi-bong (1992.1–).

Architecture and Space

Nabawi Church is a Korean-Japanese eclectic building originally built in hanok form with a brick bell tower later added. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, it was originally a purely wooden structure with 5 bays in front and 13 bays on the sides, with wooden verandas serving as floors on the front and both sides, and a wooden bell tower and cross at the center front. The Catholic Newspaper (February 23, 1997 issue) records that at the time of new construction the floor plan was T-shaped overall, with 8 bays each of the left and right side verandas and the front veranda serving as veranda floors, the rear veranda serving as the sacristy, and 3 bays each of the left and right sides of the inner sanctuary serving as transepts, and 8-sided skylights placed on all sides below the roof. The interior was divided by a central colonnade, with a partition between the columns separating men’s and women’s sections, and at the altar the colonnade stopped to widen the space, with a Gate of Glory placed between the two pillars to divide the sanctuary and the nave.

Accounts of the designer differ by source. The National Heritage Digital Service records that in 1906 Father Vermorel supervised and designed it, mobilizing Chinese technicians to build it. Good News records that Father Poisnel (Poisnel), designer of Myeongdong Church, designed it and Chinese workers undertook the construction, and the Catholic Newspaper (in 1997) reports that Father Poisnel helped with the design, Chinese technicians executed the work, and the timber used was floated down the Geumgang River from timber of the Imcheon district. Good News explains that the architectural style adopted hanok form to suit Korean sentiment.

The timing of the extension also differs slightly by source. The National Heritage Digital Service and the Catholic Newspaper record it as 1916, the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture as 1917, and Good News and the Jeonju Diocese record that in 1916–1917 the wooden walls were demolished and rebuilt in brick, with a Gothic brick bell tower added to the front. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture records that at that time the wooden bell tower was removed and the wooden floors of the side verandas on both sides were removed to make cloisters. The Catholic Newspaper (article in 2020) records that 3 years after the church was completed, Father Vermorel received and brought from France a large fine bell that was too heavy for the wooden bell tower, so in 1916 part of the front of the hanok church was demolished and a Gothic bell tower erected. It reports that the bricks used for the extension were fired locally and Chinese workers laid them (Catholic Newspaper, in 1997). In 1922 the lower parts of the cloister pillars were replaced with stone (Good News, Catholic Newspaper). The National Heritage Digital Service records this work as Father Cadar (Joseph) replacing the lower parts of the exterior pillars with stone.

According to the Catholic Newspaper (article in 2020), seen from the front the pointed bell tower shows Gothic style, while seen from the sides the hipped roof topped with traditional Korean tiles shows the form of a traditional hanok. Traces of the partition that divided male and female believers remain on the church’s interior pillars, and the church floor retains its appearance from the construction in 1906. The Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture explains that this building resembles a 2-story upper commercial building in Korean-Japanese eclectic style and that the facade of the front bell tower is not purely Gothic, while the Catholic Newspaper (in 1997) evaluates it as a transitional building that follows traditional wooden style in structure and exterior while following a basilica church in interior space, and as the only surviving hanok church from the enlightenment period.

According to Good News, the altar inside the church and the Sacred Heart statue above it, candlesticks, tabernacle, baptismal font and others were made at St. Lazarus Monastery in Nanjing, China, brought in when the church was built and installed, and preserved in their old form, and in 1995 part of Father Kim Dae-geon’s relics (neck bones) transferred from the Jeonju Diocesan Office are enshrined there. The Catholic Newspaper (article in 2020) records that inside the church 3 altars stand facing the wall, and on the right altar parts of the relics of St. Father Kim Dae-geon and St. Bishop Daveluy are enshrined.

As for cultural heritage developments, the National Heritage Digital Service records that this church was designated in 1987 as Historic Site No. 318, and that the heritage name was changed from Hwasan Catholic Church to Iksan Nabawi Church by the government notice of October 15, 2012. The Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia records that by the Korea Heritage Service notice of November 19, 2021 the designated number was abolished and it was redesignated as a historic site. The chronology of the National Heritage Digital Service lists rectory building repairs and roof dismantling repairs in 1990, repair and reinforcement of cracked and corroded areas of the entire brickwork in 2000–2001, rectory roof repairs in 2006, rectory and priest-house repairs in 2009–2010, establishment of a detailed safety diagnosis and maintenance plan in 2014, designation notice of the protected area in 2016, and rectory restoration and demolition of office-area buildings in 2018. The Catholic Newspaper (article in 2020) records that in 2015 the parish established and is pursuing the ‘Nabawi Church Comprehensive Maintenance Plan’ (2016–2025) together with the Korea Heritage Service, Jeollabuk-do and Iksan-si to mark the 170th anniversary of Father Kim Dae-geon’s arrival at Nabawi.

Related Places and Figures

• Hwasan: the low hill behind the church; the Catholic Newspaper (article in 2020) reports that around 1650 Uam Song Si-yeol named it, saying ‘though small, the mountain is very beautiful.’ Good News records that on the northern cliff of Hwasan a rock-carved triad Buddha overlooking the Geumgang River is engraved.
• Manggeumjeong: according to the Catholic Newspaper (article in 2020) and Good News, a pavilion built by Father Vermorel at the place where Bishop Demange, the first Archbishop of Daegu, held his private retreat every June after his first pastoral visit in 1912.
• Martyrdom Memorial Tower for St. Father Kim Dae-geon: erected by parishioners in 1955 to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Father Kim Dae-geon’s landing at Nabawi and the 30th anniversary of his beatification, and designated by Iksan-si as a local heritage in 2018 (Catholic Newspaper, in 2020). Good News describes this monument as a granite martyrdom stele 4.5 m tall.
• Nabawi Shrine History Museum: the rectory designated together with the church as cultural heritage, remodeled as a history museum, displaying more than 1,000 items including early woodblock-printed ritual books from the 1800s (Catholic Newspaper, in 2020).
• Grave of Father Saucet (H. Saucet): the grave of the 2th parish priest, located along the path leading to Station 14 of the Way of the Cross on Hwasan (Good News).
• Father Vermorel (J. Vermorel): served as the first pastor from 1897 to 1919, building the church (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Nabawi Parish.” Establishment in 1897, jurisdiction and church strength, successive priests, Father Vermorel’s securing of the site, Ganggyeongpo Incident, church construction and separations, school and sisters, finalization of the parish name in 1989.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/1011
2. Academy of Korean Studies, Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture “Hwasan Catholic Church.” Parish establishment in 1897, church construction in 1906–1907, Korean-Japanese eclectic structure and extension in 1917, monuments, historic site designation.
   https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0064649
3. Academy of Korean Studies, Digital Iksan Culture Encyclopedia “Iksan Nabawi Church.” Nabawi Catholic mission chapel in 1882, parish establishment on May 8, 1897, renaming in 1989, historic site designation and redesignation, Gyemyeong School and convent, present status.
   https://iksan.grandculture.net/iksan/toc/GC07500969
4. Good News Catholic Information, Nabawi Shrine in the Jeonju Diocese (Ju Pyeong-guk, based on From Heaven to the Ends of the Earth). Entry of Father Kim Dae-geon, church construction and extension, sacred objects, Mass during the 6–25 War with Gyemyeong School, Manggeumjeong and monuments.
   https://maria.catholic.or.kr/sa_ho/list/view.asp?ctxtOrgNum=2357&menugubun=holyplace
5. Catholic Newspaper, “[In Search of Catholic Cultural Heritage] 6 (Final) Iksan Nabawi Church, Historic Site No. 318” (February 23, 1997 issue). Parish establishment and church construction, extension, architectural features, parish development.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/201104120004558
6. Catholic Newspaper, “[Where the Lord Is, I Want to Go There] Iksan Nabawi Church in the Jeonju Diocese” (in 2020). Combination of hanok and Gothic styles, bell tower extension, sacred objects, Hwasan and Manggeumjeong, memorial tower, history museum, landing commemoration.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/202002040168483
7. Korea Heritage Service, National Heritage Digital Service “Iksan Nabawi Church.” Historic site designation, architectural overview, chronology (extension in 1916, pillar stone replacement in 1922, repair history), name change.
   https://digital.khs.go.kr/heri/heriDetail.do?ctptNo=1333503180000&ctptUid=13898859676726300931
8. Catholic Jeonju Diocese, Nabawi Shrine Guide. Arrival of Father Kim Dae-geon and his party on October 12, 1845, parish establishment in 1897, changes in architectural style and historic site designation.
   https://www.jcatholic.or.kr/theme/gyogu/sub/m1/0307.php