Warm and Reverent Trip to Catholic Holy Sites | Travel Course | K-Travel Mate

Hanti Martyrs' Shrine, a Catholic holy site in Dongmyeong-myeon, Chilgok-gun, formed in 1815 during the Eulhae Persecution, is located deep in the mountains at 600m above sea level. Hundreds of believers suffered persecution in Gyeongsang-do during the Eulhae Persecution and in Jeolla-do during the Jeonghae Persecution. They fled to remote mountainous areas near Daegu, cultivating slash-and-burn fields and making pottery and charcoal, living together; this settlement became Hanti. Even after settling here, they were attacked multiple times by government officers, resulting in many martyrdoms, hence the name Hanti Holy Site. Currently, the shrine consists of unknown martyrs' graves, a retreat house, Daeshin School Spiritual Center, and a pilgrims' church, offering Mass, pilgrimages, and retreats. Additionally, there are three pilgrimage routes departing from here: the Way of the Cross, the Path of Patience, and the Path of Humility, each taking about 30 minutes. A guided tour is available by prior reservation.

Gasil Catholic Church was established in 1895 as the 11th parish of the Joseon diocese, with the first parish priest being Father Ha Gyeongjo from the Paris Foreign Mission Society. Within its large jurisdiction, there are 31 sub-parishes, and the current church and priest's residence were completed in 1924. The patron saint church building remained as a People's Army hospital, and since 1952, priests from the St. Benedict Order, who migrated south due to the war, have been in charge of pastoral care for Gasil Church. Four places that belonged to Gasil Church later became independent parishes: Kimcheon Hwanggeum-dong, Yongpyeong, Toegang, and Waegwan. The current Virgin Mary Hall was established as a 100th-anniversary project in 1995, stained glass windows that enhance the sacred atmosphere were installed in 2002, and in 2003, the church and the old priest's residence were designated as cultural assets by Gyeongsangbuk-do.

Dalseong-gun Myogol Village is a traditional village located along the Nakdong River and is a clan village where descendants of Park Paengnyeon, the only surviving member of the Six Martyred Ministers, reside. Park Paengnyeon conspired with the Six Martyred Ministers in 1456, during the second year of King Sejo's reign, to restore King Danjong but failed and faced destruction of his family line. However, Park Paengnyeon's lineage was preserved because his second son Park Sun's wife, Lady Lee, was pregnant at the time. The court ordered that even unborn sons be killed, but Lady Lee moved to her parental home in Myogol and gave birth to a son. To protect the bloodline, the family swapped a slave girl’s identity with the son and named the slave 'Parkbi,' meaning a slave with the Park surname. The son was disguised as a slave to preserve the lineage. After Parkbi grew up, during King Seongjong's reign, Lee Geukgyun, who was both Park’s brother-in-law and the Gyeongsang inspector, came and advised surrender; Parkbi confessed his lineage to the king. King Seongjong was greatly pleased, issued a special pardon, and renamed him Park Ilsan. Thus, the period of seclusion ended, and Myogol became widely known as the hometown of loyalty and integrity. Even now, residents live in hanoks across the village which is well maintained, and the village is lined with cultural heritage sites including Yuksin-sa dedicated to the Myogol Park clan, Dalseong Taegojung, Dogokjae, and Dalseong Samgahen.

Dalseong Samgahen is a Joseon Dynasty residence located adjacent to Myogol, the Bakssi Village where descendants of Chungjeonggong Bak Paengnyeon, one of the Six Martyred Ministers, settled and lived, separated by a low mountain. On a spacious site are arranged the gatehouse, sarangchae (men's quarters), anchae (main quarters), detached pavilion, and pond. Seongsu, the 11th generation descendant of Bak Paengnyeon, built a thatched-roof house here in 1769, hung a plaque with his pen name, and named it Samgahen. Later, his son Gwangseok moved from neighboring Myogol to this site in 1783 and replaced the thatched roof with the anchae and sarangchae in 1826. Upon entering the gate, the sarangchae is immediately visible, and the anchae can only be accessed through the sarangchae. The anchae and sarangchae form an open "ㅁ-shaped" structure, connected by a middle gatehouse and storage room. To the west between the sarangchae and anchae are the jangdokdae (earthenware jar stand), storage building, and anbyeonso (outhouse). The centerpiece, the detached pavilion Hayeopjeong—meaning lotus petal pavilion—was created by Gyu-hyeon, grandson of Bak Gwangseok, in 1874, who transformed a large excavation site from the 1826 construction into a pond planted with lotuses, expanded the number of wooden floor bays in front of Pasan Seodang school relocated there, and completed the pavilion's current form. As originally used as a seodang (private school), the pavilion displays both the Hayeopjeong plaque and a Pasan Seodang signboard on the eaves in front of the room. The pond is an elongated rectangle with a circular island in the center, connected by a single-log bridge. In summer, when lotus flowers bloom in the pond and crepe myrtle flowers begin to blossom around, the beautiful scenery further enhances the appeal of Samgahen. Overall, this residence well preserves the characteristics of a mid-Joseon local yangban family's house.