Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang)
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity | |
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![]() Exterior of the church | |
38°58′55″N 125°44′45″E / 38.981836°N 125.745733°E | |
Location | Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District, Pyongyang |
Country | North Korea |
Denomination | Russian Orthodox Church |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Dedication | Holy Trinity |
Dedicated | 13 August 2006 |
Relics held | Sergius of Rakvere |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Groundbreaking | 24 June 2003 |
Administration | |
Division | Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia |
Parish | Trinity Parish |
Clergy | |
Rector | Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il) |
Deacon(s) | John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol) |
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | |
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Hancha | |
Revised Romanization | Pyeongyang Jeongbaeng Sawon |
McCune–Reischauer | P'yŏngyang Chŏngbaeng Sawŏn |
The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Korean: 평양정백사원) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District in Pyongyang, North Korea.[1] It is the first and only Orthodox church in the country, and one of only a handful of Christian churches there overall.
History
[edit]Kim Jong-il reportedly wanted to construct an Eastern Orthodox church in North Korea after a trip to the Russian Far East in 2002.[2] Kim had visited the St. Innocent of Irkutsk Church in Khabarovsk on 22 August and admired its architecture and Russian Orthodox rites.[3] A Russian diplomat asked Kim Jong-il whether there were any Orthodox believers in Pyongyang, and Kim replied that believers would be found.[4]
There were no Eastern Orthodox priests in the country, so the Korean Orthodox Committee established in 2002[5] contacted the Russian Orthodox Church.[6] The committee sent four students to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Seminary in April 2003.[3][1] All four were freshly baptized Christians who had formerly worked for the North Korean intelligence service. One of them, Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il),[7][3] said it was difficult for them to adopt the Orthodox faith. After the seminary, they were dispatched to Vladivostok to gain practical experience.[7]
The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 24 June 2003.[3] The church was dedicated on 13 August 2006 in the presence of Russian religious and political leaders.[8]
During Russian president, Vladimir Putin's official visit to Pyongyang in 2024, he visited the church and performed a brief divine service.[9]
Worship
[edit]The church is presided over by rector Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il) and deacon John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol), graduates of the theological seminary in Moscow.[3]
The church has a parish of its own and is under the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia.[3] However, the Korean Orthodox Church claims Eastern Orthodox Church in North Korea are part of the Korean Orthodox Church.[10]
The shrine is consecrated with a relic of Sergius of Rakvere . The church also has a Holy Trinity Icon.[11]
Very few locals attend.[8]
See also
[edit]- Religion in North Korea
- Korean Orthodox Church in South Korea
- Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (disambiguation)
- Orthodoxy in Korea
References
[edit]- ^ a b Do Kyung-ok; Kim Soo-Am; Han Dong-ho; Lee Keum-Soon; Hong Min (24 September 2015). White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2015. Korea Institute for National Unification(South Korea). p. 221. ISBN 978-89-8479-802-1.
- ^ Institute for Unification Education, Ministry of Unification (South Korea) (30 January 2015). Understanding North Korea: Totalitarian dictatorship, Highly centralized economies, Grand Socialist Family. 길잡이미디어. pp. 389–. GGKEY:Q35FXTAE44S.
- ^ a b c d e f "Orthodox Church of the Live-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang". Embassy of Russia to the DPRK. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ^ Lankov, Andrei (9 September 2013). "North Korea's irreconcilable relationship with Christianity". NK News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ AsiaNews.it. "Pyongyang: Orthodox community subject to authority of Alexei II". asianews.it. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Burdick, Eddie (26 May 2010). Three Days in the Hermit Kingdom: An American Visits North Korea. Jefferson: McFarland. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-7864-5653-6.
- ^ a b "Kim Jong-Il and Religion: North Korea Builds an Orthodox Church". Spiegel Online. 11 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ a b Hoare, James E. (13 July 2012). Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6151-0.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Visit to Church of Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang". kremlin.ru. 19 June 2024.
- ^ Presvytera Theodoti (26 August 2017). 암브로시오스 한국의 대주교 : “위험에 처한 것은 제가 아니고, 그리스도의 교회입니다.”. Orthodox Metropolis of Korea 한국정교회 대교구 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "The church of the Life-Giving Trinity consecrated in Pyongyang. The Russian Orthodox Church delegation on a visit to the KPDR". orthodox.cn. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Korean Eparchy of the Moscow Patriarchate
- Korean Orthodox Church Becomes Separate Metropolis; Begins Dialogue With New Orthodox Group in North Korea Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Pentecost in Pyongyang
- Делегация Русской Православной Церкви приняла участие в торжествах по случаю пятилетия освящения Троицкого храма в Пхеньяне (in Russian)
- Православный Храм Святой Живоначальной Троицы В Пхеньяне (in Russian)
- Русский священник в Пхеньяне радуется за северокорейцев – жить сложно, но они истинные патриоты (in Russian)
- "Bells of an Orthodox Church Ring" at Naenara