Danggogae Martyrs' Shrine당고개순교성지

About

Danggogae Martyrs' Shrine sits on a small hill just a five-minute walk from Yongsan Electronics Market. It is the place where nine saints and one blessed were martyred: in 1839, near the end of the Gihae Persecution, ten Catholic men and women died heroically here. They were originally to be executed at the crossroads outside Seosomun Gate, but merchants there asked that the execution site be moved because they needed to hold the busy market before Seollal (Lunar New Year). The executions were therefore carried out here at Danggogae, and the shrine now honors these martyrs. The shrine was designed around the theme 'The Pain of the Wild Rose, the Fragrance of the Plum Blossom,' using the thorns of the wild rose to represent the suffering of persecution and the scent of plum blossoms to represent the grace of God. Its 14 Stations of the Cross follow Blessed Maria Yi Seong-rye as she walks the path of Jesus, letting visitors feel both the road of suffering and the glory of martyrdom. Drawn by the moving story of the martyrs and a view that takes in all of downtown Seoul, pilgrims visit in a steady stream. The shrine is close to Saenamteo Catholic Church, another martyrs' site, and Yongsan Family Park. It is a 15-minute walk from Exit 5 of Hyochang Park Station on Seoul Subway Line 6.