Gamgok Cathedral, Eumseong

This was the first Catholic cathedral built in Chungcheongbuk-do, erected in 1896 by the French priest Im Gamillo. The site had originally held the house of Min Eung-sik, a cousin of Empress Myeongseong; after her assassination in 1895 and Min's arrest and removal to Seoul, righteous-army fighters made use of the house, and Japanese troops are said to have burned it down. The cathedral was designed by the French priest Sijalre and built by Chinese labourers, and gives something of the impression of a scaled-down Myeongdong Cathedral. Its interior ceiling is finished as a circular dome. The cathedral founded a school to combat illiteracy and to teach the Korean language, contributing, even under the Japanese colonial period, to keeping the roots of the nation alive. It is a place that preserves, alongside the hardships of history, meaningful traces of the national spirit.

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Where it is

Region

Eumseong, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산