Seoul Myeongdong Catholic Church Historic Private Walking Tour

The Miracle of Korean Catholicism Welcome to Myeongdong Cathedral. It was Built in 1898 as Korea’s first Gothic brick church, it holds a truly miraculous history. Unlike most nations, Catholicism in Korea was started voluntarily by local Confucian scholars, not foreign missionaries. They formed the first faith community right on this hill. Though faced with centuries of brutal persecution, this self-sown faith birthed 103 saints and 124 beatified martyrs. Under the altar lies the Crypt, enshrining seven 1839 martyrs. Truly, their blood became the fertilizer of the Korean Church. In 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized the 103 saints here—the first time in Vatican history a canonization happened outside Rome. Following Pope Francis’s moving visit in 2014, the Vatican Secretary of State also visited Myeongdong Cathedral in 2017, solidifying this sacred ground as a global beacon of peace. Today, this legacy continues as Seoul proudly prepares to host World Youth Day (WYD).