Former Yongsan Seminary and Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Wonhyo-ro

About this place

Yongsan Seminary was built in 1892 and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on Wonhyo-ro in 1902, both designed and supervised by the French priest Father Coste. The seminary is a brick building with one semi-basement story and two above-ground stories — Korea's first seminary building — with an entrance and basement access in the center and staircases to the first-floor entrance on either side. The seminary later moved to what is now Hyehwa-dong; the existing building was used as a branch of the Sacred Mary Hospital before being taken over in 1956 by the Society of the Sacred Heart, with some additions to the original structure but retaining most of its original appearance. Because the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church was built on a hillside, it is three stories on the south side and two stories on the north. The main entrance is off-center, giving the building an asymmetric appearance. The interior is a simple church form with only an altar and pews, but the pointed-arch windows and small spires on the roof create an overall simplified Gothic style. In particular, the stained-glass windows at the entrance are extraordinarily beautiful and majestic, depicting the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus spreading to all peoples, making this a must-see on pilgrimage routes for church art. Both buildings are registered as Catholic holy sites and attract many pilgrims each year, as the relics of Father Kim Dae-geon were enshrined here for over 50 years and the site served as a minor seminary for training priests.