Chapel in the Forest

Ungdong Village in Jinsang-myeon, Gwangyang — also called Gomgol — is a small mountain hamlet nestled at the foot of Mt. Baegun. The once-quiet village grew lively when it became known as a birthplace of Korean Christianity, home to a church with well over a century of history. Today it is a pilgrimage site for the eastern Jeolla region, drawing pilgrims from across the country. Together with the Gwangyang Centennial Martyrs' Memorial, it has become a place where those seeking the roots of the faith can rest at ease and find a new life of worship and meditation. In terms of contemporary Korean church architecture, the sanctuary of Ungdong Church can be read as scriptural. The image of the triune God is systematised through formal elements: the three spaces of "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" each stand as independent compositions while structurally supporting the church, connected organically with a sense of openness. The 'ㄷ'-shaped structure that seems to embrace the ceiling also symbolises divine authority. Above all, the space is beautiful because the serenity of an old, quiet chapel in harmony with nature and its scriptural truth are woven into the building. The cross spire of an ordinary church is nowhere to be seen; yet in the mass of the building, one finds it expressed through an indirect design language. In the window frames and between the planes bearing the building's columns, the solemn form of the cross can be found throughout. Ungdong Church is a singular, beloved sanctuary that becomes one with the quiet light of the sky, the green light of the mountains, and the mysterious light of sunrise and sunset.