The Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception also known as Myeongdong Cathedral, is located in the Myedong neighborhood of Seoul. The cathedral is a landmark, the main building rises to 35 feet high, while the steeple, which contains a clock, rises to 74 feet high.
Christianity was heavily persecuted during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. Still, interest in it grew. Catholicism gained ground as a belief in the 19th century through the work of French missionaries. Many of these missionaries were killed in 1886.
After the Joseon dynasty signed a treaty with the United States in 1882, the Bishop of Korea sought land to build a mission. He acquired a vacant lot and planned to build a church under the supervision of French priest Eugene Coste.
Emperor Gojong held the ceremony of laying the first stone on August 5, 1892. Because of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the subsequent death of Father Coste, the inauguration of the cathedral was postponed for several years. On May 29, 1898, it was finally dedicated. At that time, it was the largest building in Seoul.
In 1900, the relics of the Korean Martyrs who died in the 1866 persecution were moved to its crypt. They crypt is directly under the main alter.
The interior of the church ornately decorated with religious artworks.
Stained glass window depicting Jesus with the Twelve Apostles and the Nativity of Jesus and Adoration of the Magi.
The cathedral is one of the earliest and most notable examples of the Gothic Revival architecture in Korea.
The Roman Catholic clergy were among the leading critics of South Korea’s military rule in the 1970s and 1980s. Myeongdong Cathedral became a center of political and labor protest as well as a sanctuary for the protesters. 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 hunger strike inside in 1987.
Pope John Paul II reaffirmed the Blessed Virgin as the patroness of the Cathedral and the Republic of Korea in 1984, during this visit to the Cathedral.
Finding Amy 