Thursday, 16 August 2018
Koreas 1 Holy Place to Visit Holy Mothers Shrine
Koreas 1 Holy Place to Visit Holy Mothers Shrine
Daegu Citizen Press 2017
Feel the Serenity and Silence
Sigh. I really dont want to tell you about this place. Frankly, Im worried that if people know about it, theyll start going there more and more, and then it will lose what I like most about it � its serenity and silence. Im so conflicted. But I�ve got a job to do, so:
The Holy Mothers Shrine is on the downtown campus of Daegu Catholic University in a large, rambling mixture of park-like spaces, dorms, shrines and other university buildings. Its the kind of place where you can turn a corner and immediately feel like youre somewhere else altogether. When I visited there, the campus feels like a busy place (theres always someone around) but its not swamped with crowds like most of Daegus better-known spots.
Anyway, in 1911 Bishop Demange, the first head of the Catholic diocese in Daegu, prayed to the Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother, for her help in establishing a seminary, a cathedral and other works. He promised to create a beautiful shrine in her honor in exchange for her assistance.
By 1918 the bishops hopes that all been fulfilled, so he dutifully oversaw the construction of a kind of grotto, much like the grotto in Lourdes, France, on a lovely plot of land that had been set aside just for that purpose. Red brick walls were set upon a granite foundation, with a statue of the Holy Mother placed among a cave-like interior. (The red brick is beautiful, by the way, as you can see in the photo below.) Across the top of the structures top was carved "Ex Voto Immaculatae Conceptioni" -- "from a promise made to the Holy Mother" (er, basically).
Visitors are welcome to sit among the shady trees, light a prayer candle if they wish or simply quietly consider whatever thoughts are running through their mind.
But please bear in mind: This is a holy place � parklike but not actually a park � so food and drinks are discouraged, as are loud conversation and distractions like smartphones and pets. Discreet photography is okay.
Also in the Area: St. Justins Catholic Seminary is a delightful refuge from the din of city life. It�s pleasantly dark and cool even in summer, except when the afternoon sunlight comes through the stained-glass windows and gives the dark wooden interior a warm glow.
? Address 112, Namsan-ro 4-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, Korea
? KR Address ?? ?? ???4? 112
? Night scene https://goo.gl/3cHGSJ
