Yangju Shrine

Overview

The Yangju Martyrs’ Shrine is a martyrs’ shrine of the Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu in Yuyang-dong, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. It was established on the site believed to be part of the Yangju government office area where the five martyrs recorded in the Chimyeong Ilgi (Diary of Martyrdom) were martyred during the Byeongin Persecution, and on May 28, 2016 it was proclaimed the first martyrs’ shrine in the Diocese of Uijeongbu.

History

According to the Chimyeong Ilgi, Kim Yun-o (John) and his wife Kwon Martha, Kim Maria and Park Seobang-i were martyred in 1866, and Hong Seong-won (Augustine) was martyred in 1868. The Diocese of Uijeongbu website writes Kim Yun-o as "Kim Yun-ho," showing a difference in spelling.

The diocesan Commission for the Veneration of Martyrs found, through a symposium on ‘The Northern Gyeonggi Region and Korean Catholicism’ in 2008, the place believed to be the martyrdom site in the Yangju government office area recorded in the Chimyeong Ilgi, and after confirming through testimony the spot where a marker stone indicating a martyrdom site had stood, it purchased land and secured 3,766 square meters of martyrdom site in front of the Yangju Hyanggyo. On May 28, 2016 Bishop Lee Ki-heon celebrated the shrine proclamation Mass and began developing the sacred precinct, and in September 2017 a resident priest was appointed and Mass was celebrated daily in the tent church on the martyrdom site. According to the Catholic Times, the church dedication ceremony was held on September 20, 2025.

Architecture and Grounds

According to the Catholic Times, the exteriors of the Pilgrims’ House, the Way of the Cross, and the ‘Church of the Way to Heaven’ dedicated on September 20, 2025 are unified in a dark reddish color symbolizing the shed blood of the martyrs. The church is designed in the form of a cross when seen from the sky, and at the front there is a sculpture shaped after the wooden cangues the martyrs wore in prison and the ‘Gate of Martyrdom.’ The interior depicts Noah’s Ark and has 144 seats.

In the Marian garden beyond the outdoor altar, six jars brought from the Gochogol Catholic mission chapel in Yongin of the Diocese of Suwon surround the statue of Our Lady, and the Way of the Cross consists of 15 stations made of iron oxide. The Pilgrims’ House at the entrance to the shrine houses an ink-wash painting of the Way of the Cross by the artist Seok Chang-woo.

Related Places and People

• Yangju Government Office Site: the site of the government office that administered Yangju-mok after being established at its present location in 1506 until its relocation in 1922; GoodNews introduces it as Gyeonggi-do Monument No. 167 (Yangju Government Office Site). Yangju City restored the Dongheon starting in 1997 and restored the annex buildings and the inner quarters in 2017.
• Yangju Hyanggyo and the Yangju Byeolsandae Nori Performance Hall: cultural places that the Diocese of Uijeongbu website introduces as being near the shrine.

References and Sources

1. Catholic Diocese of Uijeongbu, Shrines > Yangju Martyrs’ Shrine. Confirms the five Byeongin Persecution martyrs, the shrine proclamation Mass in 2016, and nearby cultural places.
   http://ucatholic.or.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=holyland&wr_id=97
2. GoodNews Catholic Information, Diocese of Uijeongbu > Yangju Martyrs’ Shrine. Confirms the symposium in 2008, identification of the marker stone, purchase of the martyrdom site, appointment of a resident priest in 2017, and the history of the Yangju government office.
   https://maria.catholic.or.kr/sa_ho/list/view.asp?ctxtOrgNum=2840&menugubun=holyplace
3. Catholic Times, [Pilgrimage, Walking and Praying] Yangju Martyrs’ Shrine of the Diocese of Uijeongbu (October 5, 2025 issue). Confirms the Chimyeong Ilgi record, the church dedication ceremony on September 20, 2025, and the architecture and layout of the church.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/20250924500050