[One Day Walk] The 'Beautiful Pilgrimage Route' Course 2 Reflecting Catholic History and Hardships

There is a trekking course where you can encounter religious sites of Korea along a single path. It is a beautiful pilgrimage trail designated in October 2009 to revitalize the pilgrimage routes and promote religious harmony in Jeonbuk Special Autonomous Province. It consists of a total of 9 courses spanning 240 km.

The Beautiful Pilgrimage Trail Course 2 holds the history and hardships of early Catholicism. Starting from Songgwangsa Temple in Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk, and continuing to Cheonho Holy Site, Course 2 is 27.1 km long and takes about 8 hours. This course passes by the Gosancheon ferry, one of the eight scenic views of Jeonju, and boasts excellent natural scenery.

The course begins at the historic Songgwangsa Temple, first recorded at the end of the Unified Silla period. Walking along the course, you will pass Oseongje Reservoir. Oseongje is a lake located in Soyang-myeon, Wanju, with well-maintained walking trails around it, making it ideal for walking. Notably, in 2019, the group BTS filmed an album here, attracting many tourists. Nearby is Oseong Hanok Village, where visitors can enjoy both food and sightseeing.

Leaving Oseongje and following the mountain path, you will reach Gosan Catholic Church, which was established as a parish by Father Bi Yemo during his missionary work in 1893. The Gosan area, where this church is located, became a Catholic community after the Shinheebakhae persecution in 1791. After the Shinyubakhae persecution in 1801, believers from across the country gathered in the Gosan area to escape persecution, and Gosan Catholic Church was one of the main residences designated by missionaries for their missionary activities.

The course continues to reflect the history and hardships of Catholicism. Leaving the Gosan area, the course reaches its final destination, Cheonho Holy Site. This place is considered a representative pilgrimage site as it contains the graves of martyrs and a retreat house. Cheonho Holy Site was established as a village for believers who began to hide here to escape persecution around the time of the Gihae Persecution in 1839 in the Chungcheong Province area. Especially, saints who were martyred during the Byeongin Persecution in 1866 are buried here, allowing visitors to feel the painful history of Catholicism.