Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon is considered the first native Korean Priest and Martyr.
Photo: Park Min-gyu/Catholic Times.
Newsroom (10/07/2022 3:45 PM, Gaudium Press) A picture painted 102 years ago depicting St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the first native Korean priest and martyr, has been donated to Suwon Catholic University by local Bishop Matthias Iong-hoon Ri.
A priceless national treasure
“People will be delighted to see the portrait of Father Kim Tae-gon, which is a national treasure, permanently preserved as a symbol for future priests and seminarians,” the prelate said during the dedication ceremony.
This oil painting is believed to be the second portrait by a 19th century Korean artist named Jang Bal, and is considered a priceless artifact because it is one of the oldest portraits of this saint.
The Two Oldest Portraits of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon
According to local media, the first portrait, which is currently on display at the Liturgy Museum of the Catholic University of Korea in Seoul, was commissioned by Father Ginang Eun-gyeong, then director of the Yongsan Seminary in Seoul.
The second picture was painted in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the episcopal ordination of Archbishop Gustave Mutel, a French MEP missionary who led the Archdiocese of Seoul from 1890-1933.
Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon
Born into a Buddhist family in 1821, Andrew Kim Tae-gon converted to Catholicism during the early days of Christianity in Korea, when thousands of Catholics were massacred by the rulers who saw Christianity as a subversive Western religion.
After his conversion, Andrew Kim went to Macau and was ordained a priest in Shanghai in 1845. Returning to his home country, the priest devoted himself to evangelization, assisting foreign missionaries.
For refusing to renounce his Catholic faith, he was arrested and tortured. Shortly thereafter he was accused of treason for his association with the forbidden Faith, and was beheaded on September 16, 1846, on the Han River near Seoul at the age of 25.
Pope Saint John Paul II canonized him in 1984 during his visit to South Korea. Between the years 2020 and 2021, the Korean Catholic Church celebrated the bicentennial of Saint Andrew Kim’s birth by holding through various activities. (EPC)
Compiled by Florence MacDonald
