Mangyeong Church Martyrs Memorial

Gimje-si, South Korea

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Mangyeong Church Martyrs Memorial

Gimje-si, South Korea

Firm

AEV Architectures

Type

Cultural › Religious Memorial

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2025

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$1M - 5M

Memories Built Upon Erased Traces

Mangyeong-eup, Gimje, where a typical Korean rural landscape unfolds. Located on a low hill in a country village, where time seems to have long stood still, this project is a memorial to honor Pastor Kim Jong-han and 15 congregants of Mangyeong Church who were sacrificed during the Korean War. A chronic difficulty in commemorating war victims is the complete lack of physical traces, such as personal belongings or records. Therefore, the project set out with the fundamental problem of the "reproduction of memory," because memory is formless and multivalent. The design opts to confront this troubling history through evocative sensory experience within its spaces rather than the reproduction of materialized forms. This was an attempt to induce a narrative experience for visitors rather than visual impressions.

A Narrative of Martyrdom Written with Light and Shadow

The building is simply composed of two external plazas, upper and lower, and was planned so that the martyrs’ existence is revealed within space through light and shadow in the flow of time. The architectural highlight of the memorial is the rectangular Martyr’s Patio, accurately aligned with the meridian. This plaza, open to the sky, functions as an astronomical device that operates according to the sun’s trajectory, its form precisely determined according to the site's coordinates of 36.5° North Latitude. A cross-shaped steel beam is installed over the void, topped with metal sculptures by Parisian artist Jeeyean Shim, symbolising the 15 martyrs. Depending on the sun's altitude and the season, the shadows of the 15 figures repeat a cycle of generation and disappearance along the walls. Especially at noon on the Summer Solstice, when the meridian altitude is at its peak, the silhouettes of the martyrs are cast at life-size at the visitor’s eye level, giving the impression of actually facing the martyrs. Unlike static statues, these shadows reveal themselves temporarily only "when heaven permits," granting spiritual presence and symbolic resonance to the space.

Contrast of Materiality

Architectural intervention was extremely restrained within the constraints of a public-sector budget. The selected materials convey primal messages through their inherent properties alone. The exposed concrete exterior wall, bearing the traces of wood-grain formwork, was left rough and crude like an air-raid shelter excavated from underground. This creates a tactile connection to the construction process and human labour, serving as a vessel that accepts the flow of time. Conversely, the interior of the Martyr’s Plaza shifts to a completely different sense. Symbolizing the inside of a well—the site of martyrdom and the space of death where the martyrs' remains were found—the floor and walls here were finished with pure white plaster and urethane coating. The glare effect caused by the excessive reflection and diffusion of natural light offers an experience of purification along with a visual shock to visitors. Here, the sense of mystery reaches its peak with the addition of a white concrete sculpture by Italian sculptor Ignazio Campagna.

A Place for the Community

The wounds of war did not discriminate between left and right sides, and they continued to the surviving bereaved families. The architect hoped that this memorial would not remain only in the memories of the past. Between the old church and the semi-underground Martyr’s Patio, the ‘Sharing Plaza’ for local residents and pilgrims was prepared. It is an open space where anyone can sit and rest, simultaneously reminiscent of the inner courtyard of a Hanok (Korean traditional house) surrounded by toetmaru (wooden porches) and a small urban piazza in Italy. As a narrative device to sublimate the wounds of ideology into forgiveness, the architect collaborated with famous Italian sculptor Andrea Roggi to install the "Tree of Life" statue. The image of a man and woman born from one root bearing olive trees suggests a future moving forward from a painful past. The sculptor who attended the unveiling ceremony conveyed the meaning of the work, saying, "Even if life seems to end, there is always a power that exists to bloom again." Thus, the Mangyeong Church Martyrs’ Memorial is an attempt to overcome the limits of budget and resources with a shift in thinking that blurs the boundaries between art and architecture.

Memory for the Future

The official purpose of the local government's support for this project was "regional revitalization." It is a temptation many local governments often fall into—the idea that one conspicuous landmark will induce visits from outsiders and help revive a region. Behind the architect's adoption of the non-material theme of ‘light and shadow’ in this project was a hidden intention beyond the architecture itself. Rather than a unique building that stimulates the curiosity of visitors, it was to serve as a kind of "cultural platform" that draws the voluntary participation of local residents. During the construction period, the architect encouraged local artists to work on the theme of the martyrs' shadows. Even if it is a sad history, the architect saw the possibility that the method of spatial reproduction called "shadow play", which stimulates childhood innocence and imagination, could become a powerful cultural code for the village when combined with the diverse creativity of residents.

On the opening day, resident artists’ works were hung in the Sharing Plaza, and the silhouettes of the martyrs were reborn as souvenirs, attracting the interest of visitors. Sculptor Andrea Roggi, who attended the opening ceremony, even purchased several works on the spot. This is an example showing that the architect's intervention and communication can function as a trigger for the use and participation of the village community after completion. It remains to be seen whether the residents' interest and efforts will accumulate and settle as a unique identity of the region called the "Shadow Village." Hopefully past memories will become fertilizer for the future of the region.