Seosan Haemi Martyrs' Shrine Designated as an 'International Shrine'

The First International Sacred Site in Korea... The Second in Asia
"A Glorious Event Recognizing the Faith of the Martyrs as a Model and Widely Promoting It Worldwide"

The Haemi Martyrs' Shrine located in Eupnae-ri, Haemi-myeon, Seosan-si, Chungnam, has been designated as an international shrine.

According to Seosan City on the 9th, the Holy See designated and proclaimed the Haemi Martyrs' Shrine as an international shrine on the 1st of this month. The Haemi Martyrs' Shrine is a pilgrimage site established to honor the martyrs executed during the persecution of Catholics in the late Joseon Dynasty. It became known after investigation and excavation by Father Bombaro of Seosan Cathedral in 1935, and has since been a place of commemoration and pilgrimage for Catholic believers. Through the martyrs, it contributed to forming the unique spiritual culture of the Korean Catholic Church known as the 'martyrdom devotion.'

The Holy See approved the Haemi Martyrs' Shrine as an international shrine on November 29 last year and has been proceeding with the proclamation process. This is the first international shrine proclamation in Korea and the second in Asia. Although it is not a place associated with a famous saint or special miracle, records remain of 132 Catholic believers who left their names or baptismal names and were martyred. About 2,000 unrecorded believers were buried alive during Catholic persecutions such as the Byeongin Persecution of 1866. At that time, believers were executed by forced labor like stone paving outside the west gate of Haemi Eupseong Fortress, and because the number was so large, a large pit was dug in the Haemi Stream to bury them all. It is said that the villagers misheard the prayer "Jesus Mary" uttered by the believers before death as "Yeosumeori," which led to the place being called 'Yeosutgol.'

International shrines worldwide include three historical sites: Jerusalem in Israel, Rome in Italy, and Santiago in Spain; about twenty Marian apparition sites such as Guadalupe in Mexico and Fatima in Portugal; and six pilgrimage sites related to saints. Father Han Gwang-seok, the priest in charge of Haemi Martyrs' Shrine, emphasized, "This international shrine proclamation is a glorious event recognizing the faith of the martyrs who could not even leave their names as exemplary and widely publicizing it to the world." Maeng Jeong-ho, mayor of Seosan City, said, "We will systematically preserve the shrine so that more citizens can comfortably visit and correctly view history."