BAERON HOLY GROUND

The name Baeron originates from the fact that the terrain here is shaped like the bottom of a boat. Early believers of the Korean Catholic Church fled persecution and hid here, forming a community. This place holds three important facts related to the history of the early Korean Catholic Church.

First, it is the location of the cave where the Silk Letter of Hwang Sa-yeong was written. In February 1801, Hwang Sa-yeong (Alexio) fled persecution, came here, and hid in a cave. Inside the cave, he wrote an earnest letter on silk (Silk Letter, 13,384 characters) to Bishop Gouvea in Beijing, seeking to convey the deaths of the martyrs to the global church, rebuild the Catholic Church ruined by persecution, and obtain freedom of faith. However, before it could be sent to China, the Silk Letter was confiscated, and he was also arrested and martyred outside Seosomun in Seoul in November of that year. The Silk Letter is currently kept in the Vatican Historical Museum.

Second, it is the site of St. Joseph's Seminary, the first seminary for training Catholic clergy in Korea. Established in early 1855 at the house of Saint Joseph Chang Chu-gi, St. Joseph's Seminary educated about ten seminarians, including John the Apostle Kim, John Kwon, and Andrew Yu, under the guidance of French priests Father Pourthie and Father Petitnicolas. In early 1866 (the year of Byeong-in), just as the seminarians, who were the first in Korea to learn Western studies such as Latin, philosophy, and theology, were about to bear the fruits of priestly training, persecution broke out. As a result, the two priests and Chang Chu-gi were martyred at Saenamteo in Seoul and Galmaemot in Boryeong, respectively, and the seminary was closed.

Third, it is the burial site of Father Thomas Choe Yang-eop, the second priest in Korea. He went to Macau, China, in December 1836 to study theology and was ordained a priest in Shanghai, China, in April 1849. For 12 years, he worked for the Church with firm faith in God, a fiery passion to save souls, and excellent judgment, before passing away from exhaustion in Mungyeong in June 1861. In November of that year, he was buried on the hill behind St. Joseph's Seminary, lighting the path for future students seeking to walk the path of priesthood. As such, the Baeron Holy Ground not only occupies an important place in church history from a religious perspective, but also holds value as a land of history and education in Korea.

In 1855, Father Maistre (1808-1857), who was the superior of the Apostolic Vicariate of Korea, established the country's first diocesan seminary at the home of Joseph Jang Ju-gi (1803-1866) under persecution. At this seminary, Father Pourthié (1830-1866), who took office as rector in 1856, and Father Petitnicolas (1828-1866), who arrived at the end of 1861, taught Western sciences such as Latin, rhetoric, philosophy, and theology to seminarians including John the Apostle Kim, John Kwon, Andrew Yu, Vincent Im, Philip Park, Mandol Lee (Paulino), and Thomas Lee. The seminarians boarded in three villages in groups of a few and commuted to the seminary to study. The patron saint of the seminary is Saint Joseph.

Despite facing persecution and health difficulties, the seminary fulfilled its role as a priestly training center thanks to the full support of Bishop Berneux (1814-1866), the affection of the missionaries, and the prayers of the faithful. As a result, by 1866, it had eight seminarians, including one in the Latin course, two in the theology course, one tonsured, and one in minor orders. However, with the outbreak of the Byeongin Persecution (1866), the seminary closed as the two priests, Jang Ju-gi, and three seminarians were martyred. The old seminary building was destroyed during the Korean War, and the current building was restored in 2003 with support from Chungcheongbuk-do.

Hwang Sa-yeong(Alexio) (1775-1801) came to the home of Kim Gwi-dong, a believer living in Baeron, to escape the Sinyu Catholic Persecution(1801) in late February. He hid for eight months in a cave disguised as an Onggi (Korean traditional earthenware) storage room and completed the Baekseo (silk letter) on September 22.

The Baekseo (silk letter), comprising 122 lines and 13,384 characters written on silk, was composed to be sent to Bishop Gouvea (1751-1808), Bishop of the Diocese of Beijing. The content of the Baeksseo (silk letter) is structured as follows: greetings (lines 1-5), the origins and progression of the Sinyu Catholic Persecution(1801) (lines 6-32), biographies of the martyrs including Father Choo Moon-mo (Jacob) (1752-1801) and Council President Choi Chang-hyun (John) (lines 32-90), five proposals for rebuilding the Church and obtaining religious freedom (lines 90-119), a request for clemency, and a closing statement (lines 119-122).

During the process of delivering the Baekseo(silk letter) to China, Thomas Hwang-sim, who was entrusted with carrying the letter, was arrested in Baeron on September 15 of that year (beheaded outside Seosomun Gate on October 24, becoming a martyr). Hwang Sa-yeong (Alexio) was arrested in Baeron on September 29 after Hwang Sim's capture and executed by dismemberment outside Seosomun Gate in Seoul on November 5, 1801, for the crime of treason. On November 6, Hwang Sa-yeong (Alexio)'s mother, Lee Yun-hye, was exiled to Geoje Island; his wife, Jeong Nan-joo (Jeong Myeong-ryun), to Jeju Island; and his two-year-old son, Hwang Gyeong-hwan, to Chuja Island. The original Baekseo (silk letter) is currently preserved at the Vatican Ethnological Museum in Rome.

The current cave dwelling was restored in 1987 based on the historical verification by Professor Lee Won Sun of Seoul National University.

St. Joseph's Seminary was founded in 1855 by French missionary Father Maistre. At that time, Chang Ju-ki(Joseph) (1803-1866), president of the Catholic community, offered his home as the seminary. From 1856, Father Pourthie (1856-1866) served as principal, and Father Petitnicolas (1862-1866) as professor.

Theological education was divided into Latin and Theology departments. The Theology department taught Rhetoric, Philosophy, and Theology. Additionally, while educating the seminarians, the two Western priests translated catechisms and compiled a ‘Latin-Korean-Chinese’ dictionary.

On March 2, 1866, police officers who had come to arrest John Nam Jong-sam in Seoul raided the seminary and arrested the two priests. They were martyred at Saenamteo in Seoul on March 11. Chang Ju-ki (Joseph) was martyred on March 30 at Galmaemot pond, Boryeong, Chungcheongnam-do. It is said that people witnessed five white rainbows piercing the sky at that time.

The significance of St. Joseph's Theological College lies in its status as both the first seminary of the Korean Church and the first modern theological education institution in Joseon.

Baeron Holy Ground holds the tomb of Father Thomas Choe Yang-eop (1821-1861), the second priest ordained in Korea. His father is Saint Francis Choe Gyeong-hwan (1805-1839) and his mother is Blessed Maria Yi Seong-rye (1801-1840).

In December 1836, he was selected as a seminarian along with Kim Dae-geon and Choe Bang-je, and went to Macau, China, to study and receive theological education. On April 15, 1849, he was ordained a priest in Shanghai, China.

After returning to Korea, he lived the life of a shepherd for 11 years and 6 months, visiting believers in remote mountainous areas. The area he ministered to spanned five provinces, including Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do, and Chungcheong-do, covering over 6,000 believers and 127 mission stations. On June 15, 1861, after completing his missionary work in Gyeongsang-do, he passed away from exhaustion in Mungyeong on his way to Seoul. Around November of that year, he was buried here, where the seminary was located at the time, by Bishop Berneux, the head of the diocese.

"He was so precious to us because of his firm faith, his fiery zeal for the salvation of souls, and his excellent judgment in infinitely valuable matters. For 12 years, he never ceased to strive to successfully lead people to salvation by keeping all the duties of a holy priest with extreme precision. (From the memorial address of Bishop Berneux, head of the diocese)"

1. Symbolizes the tomb of Father Thomas Choe Yang-eop, a Venerable, located at Baeron Holy Ground.

2. A symbol of faith kept by the ancestors of faith who fled into the mountains to escape persecution, maintaining their livelihood by selling pottery baked in kilns.

3. Red signifies the blood shed by the martyrs and their passion.

4. The center circle represents the Holy Eucharist of Christ, the center of faith.

1. The tomb of Father Thomas Choe Yang-eop, a Venerable, located at Baeron Holy Ground.

2. M signifies the Blessed Virgin Mary, symbolizing believers who pray following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

3. Using sky blue, the color of the Blessed Virgin Mary, signifies taking the Blessed Virgin Mary as an example.

4. The center circle represents the Holy Eucharist of Christ, the center of faith.