Myeongdong Cathedral
| Myeongdong Cathedral The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception 천주교 서울대교구 주교좌 명동대성당 | |
|---|---|
Archdiocese of Seoul | |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Location | |
| Location | Seoul, South Korea |
| Geographic coordinates | 37°33′48″N 126°59′14″E / 37.5633°N 126.9873°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1892 |
| Completed | 1898 |
 | |
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (
The shrine is dedicated to the
History
| Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception | |
| Hangul | 천주교 서울대교구 주교좌 명동대성당 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | Cheonjugyo seouldaegyogu jugyojwa myeongdongdaeseongdang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ŏnjugyo sŏultaegyogu chugyojwa myŏngdongdaesŏngdang |
| Myeongdong Cathedral | |
| Hangul | 명동대성당 |
| Hanja | 明洞大聖堂 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeongdong Daeseongdang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏngdong Taesŏngdang |
Christianity was heavily persecuted during the Joseon period. Still, interest in it grew as an academic novelty, notably among members of the Silhak (실학; "practical learning") school, attracted to what they saw as its egalitarian values.[2] Catholicism gained ground as a belief in the 19th century through the work of French missionaries, the persecutions of whom led to an 1866 French punitive expedition.
After the Joseon dynasty concluded a commercial treaty with United States in 1882, Marie-Jean-Gustave Blanc, M.E.P.,
At first, Emperor Gojong of Korea opposed the construction of the cathedral and threatened to confiscate the land in 1887. On 28 April 1888, he tasked the trade minister Byong-Sik Cho to press the American, Russian and Italian governments to stop funding the cathedral, and the Korean government placed a decree of restriction against the circulation of gold currency, in an attempt to slow construction. Accounts say Gojong supported this move, partly due to his disdain that a building was built higher than his palace.
Nevertheless, he eventually became convinced of the value of having a Christian cathedral, and conceded to hold the
In 1900, the relics of the
On 22 November 1977, the Korean government assigned the cathedral as
The Catholic clergy were among the leading critics of South Korea's military rule in the 1970s and 1980s, and Myeongdong Cathedral became a center of Minjung political and labor protest as well as a sanctuary for the protesters;[6] indeed, it was nicknamed the "Mecca" of pro-democracy activists.[7] Catholic and future President Kim Dae-jung held a rally at the cathedral in 1976 to demand the resignation of President Park Chung Hee, and some 600 student-led protesters staged a hunger strike inside in 1987 after the torture and death of university student Park Jong-chol.[8]
The cathedral remains a popular spot for protesters, due to the government's previous disinclination to arrest protesters inside church property. In 2000, the cathedral attempted to officially ban protesters who did not have prior approval after a protest of telecommunications labor unions beat female churchgoers and vandalized church property.[8]
The cathedral offers
National patronage
Amidst Korean suspicion and persecution of Christianity at the time, the provincial church of Korea was originally a part of the
- On 9 September 1831,
- On 6 May 1984, Republic of Korea.[15] In his 1984 Apostolic Letter, Pope John Paul II noted that Bishop Imbert (Embert) Bum first consecrated Korea to the Immaculate Conception in 1837, followed by French Bishop Jean Joseph Ferréol in 1846 along with Saint Joseph as its co-patron.[14][16]According to the papal brief, a similar re-dedication of patronage to the Immaculate Conception was invoked on by the French Bishop Gustave Charles Mutel (1854–1933) on 29 May 1898.
- On 18 August 2014, Park Geun Hye and seven comfort womenwho had survived during the Japanese occupation of Korea.
Details of the building
The original church was constructed with twenty types of locally fired red and gray bricks. The main building rises to 23m high, with the nave being the same height, while the
The interior of the church is ornately decorated with religious artwork. The high altar of the cathedral features a modernized statue of
The
On the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the church in 1948, a French statue of Our Lady of Lourdes bearing the title “the Immaculate Conception” was erected behind the church property. On 27 August 1960, Archbishop Paul Roh Ki-nam consecrated the grotto and dedicated it towards Korean reunification, at the time a highly controversial issue that persists on today.[17]
Mass times
- Tuesday 7:00 PM — The Reunification of Korea(offered weekly since 1997).
- Weekend Mass
| Venue | Time slot | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Chapel (Morning) | 07:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 |
| Main Chapel (Afternoon) | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 (Children) | 21:00 |
| Sub Chapel | 09:00 (College Students) | 11:00 (Handicapped) | |||
| Sabbatine Privilege | 18:00 | 19:00 | |||
| Foreigners’ Mass (English language) (Sunday only) |
09:00 AM | ||||
Former titles of the cathedral
- The church was originally called the Jonghyeon Cathedral (종현성당, 鐘峴聖堂) during the time of Emperor Gojong of Korea.
- During the Japanese occupation, its formal title was lost and was simply called The Catholic Church (천주교회; 天主敎會)
- After the liberation Korea from colonial rule in 1945, its formal name was later changed to the Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception and was colloquially referred to by its congregants as the Myeongdong Cathedral.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Myeong-dong Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and St. Nicholas, Seoul 서울시, Seoul-teukbyeolsi 서울특별시, South Korea". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
- ^ Seoul International Publishing House (1983). Focus on Korea, Korean History. Seoul. pp. 7–8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c F. Ohlinger; H. G. Appenzeller; George Heber Jones (January 1898), The Korean repository, vol. 5, p. 239
- ^ a b Cultural Heritage Administration (Republic of Korea). "Heritage Information: Myeongdongseongdang". Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ^ "History of Myeong Dong Cathedral". www.mdsd.or.kr. Archived from the original on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ^ Conde, Carlos H. (April 3, 2005). "Asians Pay Tribute to the Pope". International Herald Tribune.
- ^ The Associated Press (March 7, 2008). "SKorean priests lead campaign against 'economic dictator' Samsung".
- ^ a b Lee, Dong-min (March 22, 2002). "Myeongdong Cathedral Fighting Image of Protest Haven". Korea Herald.
- ^ ""Bellonet and Roze: Overzealous Servants of Empire and the 1866 French Attack on Korea" by Kane, Daniel C. - Korean Studies, Annual 1999".[dead link]
- ^ Brother Zechariah Foreman, O.P. (May 4, 2004), True Doctrine in the Hermit Kingdom: A Brief Survey of the Catholic Church in Korea
- ^ Both North and South consecrated to the Immaculate Virgin, says Bishop of Seoul
- ^ Patron Saints: K
- ^ Phoenix TV documentary of the Myeongdong Cathedral, archived from the original on 2021-12-22
- ^ a b http://www.marys-touch.com/newspapers/2009.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Pope John Paul II (6 May 1984), Address of Pope John Paul II Before Declaring the Act of Entrustment of Korea to Mary
- ^ "The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosay of Namyang". www.namyangmaria.org. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- ^ AsiaNews.it. "Card. Yeom: We Christians, instruments of peace on the Korean peninsula". asianews.it. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
External links
- Myeongdong Cathedral Official Website (in Korean)
- Myeongdong Cathedral English information (in English)
- YouTube: Myeongdong Cathedral, Official Live Streaming - YouTube
