[One Day Walk] Early Catholicism's Difficult Journey Captured in 'Beautiful Pilgrimage Route' Course 3

There is a trekking course where you can encounter religious landmarks of Korea along a single path. It is a beautiful pilgrimage route designated in October 2009 to revitalize the pilgrimage trails and promote religious harmony in Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province. It consists of a total of 9 courses spanning 240km.

The third course of the beautiful pilgrimage route reflects the arduous journey until the early establishment of Catholicism. The course starts from Cheonho Holy Site in Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk, passing through Mundeureomijae, the birthplace of Lee Byeong-gi, Namwon Temple, Yeosan Catholic Church, the ecological riverside, and ends at Nabawi Holy Site. The total length is 24.1km and takes about 8 hours.

The course begins at Cheonho Holy Site, where Catholic believers from the Chungcheong region hid to escape persecution around the 1839 Gihae Persecution. From there, it passes through Mundeureomijae. Mundeureomijae is a mountain pass that crosses from Naewol-ri, Bibong-myeon, Wanju-gun to Wonsu-ri, Yeosan-myeon, Iksan-si. It is a place frequented by mountaineers dreaming of traversing the Baekdudaegan mountain range. It is marked as ‘Munchi’ on the Daedongyeojido map and is known for its outstanding natural scenery.

After crossing the pass, you can see the ‘Birthplace of Lee Byeong-gi.’ It is the birthplace of Garam Lee Byeong-gi, a Korean literature scholar and sijo poet. It is designated as Monument No. 6 of Jeonbuk and showcases the typical architecture of a yangban (aristocratic) house. Lee Byeong-gi led a new movement for the modern innovation and revival of sijo poetry, devoted himself to the excavation and study of classical literature, and worked to preserve the nation’s language and script through youth education.

Following this, the course reveals the difficult process of early Catholicism taking root in Korea. During the 1866 Byeongin Persecution, executions of Catholics in Jeolla Province mainly took place in Jeonju, Yeosan, and Naju. The ‘Yeosan Supjeongi Martyrdom Holy Site,’ located in the middle to latter part of the course, was one of the main execution sites. Twenty-three people, including Kim Seong-cheom, Kim Myeon-eon, and Kim Jeong-gyu, were martyred here. It is estimated that many more martyrs existed, including those who died without records.

Near the end of the course, you pass by the ‘Moo-hyeong Church’ and ‘Nabawi Holy Site,’ both deeply connected to Catholic history. Moo-hyeong Church holds a 100-year history of the massacre of residents and parishioners by the People’s Army during their withdrawal in the Korean War.

Nabawi Holy Site commemorates the place where Korea’s first priest, Father Kim Dae-geon, was ordained in Shanghai, China, in October 1845, and took his first steps with Bishop Pebeol and Father Daveluy. At Nabawi Holy Site, there is Nabawi Catholic Church dedicated to Father Kim Dae-geon and a monument commemorating the 100th anniversary of his martyrdom. Nabawi Church, with its unique architectural style, was designated as National Historic Site No. 318 on July 18, 1987.