Gasil Catholic Church

On a hill above the Nakdong River in Waegwan, Chilgok, stands the red-brick Gasil Catholic Church. Its parish was founded in 1895, making it one of the oldest in Gyeongsang, and the present church, consecrated in 1924, turned 100 in 2024. During the Korean War, on the Nakdong front line, it was used in turn by North Korean, South Korean and US forces as a field hospital.

Mother church of northern Gyeongsang

The Gasil parish was founded in 1895 as the eleventh parish of the Korean diocese. Its first parish priest came from the Paris Foreign Missions Society, and he was responsible for a vast area including Chilgok, Seongju, Gimcheon, Mungyeong and Yecheon. Several parishes, among them Gimcheon and Waegwan, later split off from it, which is why it is called the mother church of northern Gyeongsang. From the colonial period it was long known as Naksan Church, and it regained its original name, Gasil, in 2005.

The present church was designed by the French priest Victor Louis Poisnel (Korean name Park Do-haeng), who also worked on Myeongdong Cathedral. The parish priest of the time, Fr. Victor Tourneux, is said to have tapped every brick with a hammer to listen to it, using the best for the church and the next best for the rectory. The church, a blend of Gothic and Romanesque styles, and its rectory were designated provincial heritage in 2003.

A church at war

In the summer of 1950 the fighting along the Nakdong burned the village, but the church survived. North Korean, South Korean and US forces each used it as a field hospital, and traces remain.

• Bullet hole in St Anne: the statue of St Anne to the right of the altar, brought from France, has a filled-in bullet hole in its left breast.
• The "KELLEY" brick: a name carved into one brick is said to have been left by an American soldier treated here.

Since 1952 the church has been in the care of Benedictine monks who fled south from Deokwon in North Korea.

What to see

• Stained glass: ten windows between the pillars show the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. They were installed in 2002 as the work of German artist Egino Weinert.
• Stations of the Cross: framed panels said to have been brought from China when the church was consecrated.
• Grotto of Our Lady: a prayer space built in 1995 to mark the parish's centenary.
• Crape myrtles: from mid-July to late summer the crape myrtles in the churchyard bloom deep pink, making this a favourite photo spot against the red brick.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: this is a working parish church. During Mass stay quietly at the back, and visit the interior when no service is on. It is often closed to visitors on Mondays, so call ahead.
• Time: 30 minutes to an hour for the church, the grounds and the grotto.
• Best time: July and August, when the crape myrtles bloom, are the most colourful, though spring and autumn are lovely too.
• Getting there: around 15 minutes by car from Waegwan Station on the Gyeongbu Line. Buses are infrequent, so a taxi or car is easiest.
• Pilgrim trail: the church is the starting point of the "Hanti Road", a walking pilgrimage of about 45.6 km. Its end point, the Hanti shrine on the slopes of Palgongsan, was a mountain village where Catholics hid from persecution. Many walkers split it into sections and cover one or two a day.
• Combine with: it was also a filming location for the 2004 Korean film Love, So Divine. Pair it with the Chilgok Hoguk Peace Memorial Hall in Waegwan town, which tells the story of the Nakdong River battles.