Geumsan Mountain Church

Geumsan Mountain Church, a church built in the traditional Korean hanok style, was constructed in 1908 by the missionary Lewis Boyd Tate of the Jeonju mission. According to the records of the Presbyterian Church of Joseon, the first church building, with five bays, was erected in 1905, but it was relocated and rebuilt on its present site in 1908. Today, a new sanctuary and manse, built in 1988, stand beside the church. The building has five bays running north–south, with two further bays added to the east, giving it the shape of an inverted letter (a reversed L). The interior forms a single open space, and a pulpit was placed where the five north–south bays meet the two east-facing bays, with seating divided so that men sat to the south and women to the east. This is a distinctive feature of early Korean church architecture: the separation of men and women, a major concern in traditional Korean society, was resolved by building an L-shaped structure that allowed men and women to worship apart while facing the same pulpit. This church, which harmoniously combines traditional Korean building methods with the features of a Western-style church, is an important building for tracing how early church architecture became indigenised in Korea. Each part of the structure remains in good condition, and it has accordingly been designated and preserved as a heritage property.

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Where it is

Region

Gimje, Jeonbuk

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료