Chungcheongnam-do

Stork Rock, a sacred ground of Catholicism, lies on a small hill along the Jemin Stream, which runs to River Geumgang in Gongju, Chungnam, between Muryeong Royal Tomb in the west and Gong Mountain Fortress in the east.

It was 1784 when Catholicism was first introduced into Chungnam. Once the Chosun Dynasty is persecution started, the Gongju Gamyeong (like city hall) was crowded with Catholic believers arrested in three provinces (Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Chungcheong). There was a huge number of martyrs over 100 years up to 1879 when there was the official record of the last martyrs. Most of them were publicly executed here at the Stork Rock.

“After beheading the Catholic believers in public at this Stork Rock, they hung their heads in the trees for long to warn people against the faith. The Jemin Stream before the rock used to run wider than the current levees. When flooded due to heavy rainfall, the stream would turn red with the martyrs' blood and run to River Geumgang.” (from the pamphlet of Stork Rock)

Approaching the sacred ground, you can first notice the martyrdom tower looking over River Geumgang. Unlike other sacred grounds where a series of boring granite steps goes on and on, the Stork Rock offers a natural trail past the parking lot and a simple, neat entrance.

The lot with an area of 2,000 or so pyeong is divided north and south and further east and west. They put up a shrine at the west end to the entrance and the martyrdom tower at the south end. At the time of construction, many Catholic believers voluntarily worked on the site and used their bare hands to build the tower in order to feel the pain of the martyrs. Placing your hand on the tower, you can almost feel their desperate pain leaping through time and say to yourself, ‘This is the sacred ground of Stork Rock.