Nabawi Catholic Church, Iksan

A red-brick Gothic bell tower stands in front of a hanok nave with a tiled roof: this is Nabawi Catholic Church. One of Korea's early churches, it fuses traditional Korean architecture with Western church design and was designated a national Historic Site in 1987. It was built to mark the place where Father Andrew Kim Dae-geon, the first Korean Catholic priest, first set foot back in Korea after his ordination, so many visitors come as pilgrims.

History: the landing of Father Kim Dae-geon

In 1845, after being ordained in China, Kim Dae-geon sailed home with Bishop Ferréol and Father Daveluy and landed at the Hwangsan ferry nearby. Kim was martyred the following year, in 1846. To commemorate his landing, the first parish priest, Father Vermorel (Korean name Jang Yak-seul), oversaw and designed a church built by Chinese craftsmen in 1906; some records give 1907 as the completion date. A priest from Myeongdong Cathedral helped with the design. Father Poisnel of Myeongdong Cathedral also helped with the design. From outside it is almost as tall as a two-storey building.

The church began as a wooden building five bays wide and thirteen bays long. In 1916–1917 its earthen walls were replaced with brick and the Gothic brick bell tower was added, giving it its present form. It has been repaired twice more since then. The Korean Catholic Church honours it as a shrine, the place where Kim Dae-geon first preached.

What to see

• A hanok church: the hipped-and-gabled tiled roof and the covered gallery that wraps around the building are pure hanok. Look for the octagonal windows that let light in.
• Interior: a boarded ceiling, plank floors, white walls, round arches and a wooden altar.
• Manggeumjeong pavilion: built in 1915 by Father Vermorel on "Nabawi", the broad rock at the tip of Hwasan hill behind the church, as a retreat for Bishop Demange, the first bishop of Daegu. Its name expresses a longing for beauty.
• Rock-carved Buddha triad: carved into the rock face below the pavilion's boulder.
• Monument to Father Kim Dae-geon: erected in 1946, the 100th anniversary of his martyrdom. The octagonal windows, framed by the pine trees in the churchyard, are especially beautiful when lit at night.

Good to know

Hwasan-ri, where the church stands, takes its name from the scholar Song Si-yeol, who called the hill Hwasan for its beauty, so the church was first known as Hwasan Church. Because the name clashed with Hwasan-myeon in nearby Wanju, it was renamed after the rock at the end of the hill, Nabawi.

Tripto tips

• Access: free and open all year. Please visit quietly during Mass. Mass times and pilgrimage information are on the church website (nabawi.kr) or by phone (063-861-9210).
• Parking: there is a car park in front of the church.
• When to go: spring and autumn are lovely, with the pines around the church, and from Manggeumjeong you look out over the surrounding plains.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the church and the pavilion. The town of Ganggyeong in South Chungcheong, about 2 km away, is easy to combine.