The Marmot’s Hole

Ganghwa Onsuri Anglican Church.

Jeondeungsa Temple.

Ganghwa Anglican Church.

On Sunday, this humble blogger — having recently picked himself up a Nikon 55-200mm VR lens — found himself on Ganghwa Island. As it would turn out, I had very little cause to actually use the lens, but I did get to stop by two very beautiful old churches (one I’ve been to, and photographed, several times before) and Jeondeungsa Temple, a place so beautiful there’s always an excuse to go.

This is a LONG photo essay. As always, you’re encouraged to check out the Flickr slideshow, where you can see the photos in near-original size.

Ganghwa Onsuri Anglican Church

Thanks to the efforts of British missionaries who came to Ganghwa Island in the late 19th century, the island became an Anglican stronghold. Early Anglican missionaries put a great deal of effort into “indigenizing” the faith, the fruits of which can be seen clearly in both Ganghwa Onsuri Anglican Church and Ganghwa Anglican Church (see below).

The current Ganghwa Onsuri Anglican Church — also called St. Andrew’s Anglican Church — dates back to 1906, when it was constructed under the supervision of Rev. (later Bishop) Mark N. Trollope (who is buried in the crypt of Seoul Anglican Cathedral). Here’s what Trollope had to say in 1915 about the Ganghwa Anglican community:

Kanghwa (opened 1893), our oldest and most flourishing country station, about thirty-five miles north-west of Seoul, started with two Christians in 1897, and has now nearly 1,700, of whom close on 1,000 are communicants. [Of these one died not long after his Baptism, the other, after seventeen years' faithful service as a catechist, was ordained to the diaconate, at the first ordination of native clergy, on Trinity Sunday, 1914.] It boasts two handsome churches, both built in Corean style, one in Kanghwa City (SS. Peter and Paul), the other (S. Andrew) in the village of On Su Tong, some ten miles distant, besides ten or twelve outlying chapelries, which have to be served by the priest-in-charge, Mr. Gurney. There are small but good schools for boys and girls at On Su Tong, and a house accommodating two or three lady workers in the city. In 1914 there was started in temporary buildings in Kanghwa City our college for training native clergy and catechists, under the care of Mr. Hodges, assisted by Mr. Smith, who give the otherwise single-handed priest-in-charge what help they can in his district work.

Unlike the larger Ganghwa Anglican Cathedral, which was designed by a royal woodcutter, Ganghwa Onsuri Anglican Church was built by local woodcutters, and as a result is simpler and truer to a Korean hanok home. As you can see from the interior, however, a number of Western elements have been adopted, most notably, its use of space — there’s a long nave running down the center, flanked by two aisles. The windows are obviously Western, too. Please note the use of the lotus flower for the cross on the front facade — how’s that for indigenizing religious symbolism!

When the weather warms up, the hanok church is used for masses. In winter, however, masses are held in a large and newly built church modeled a good deal on Seoul Anglican Cathedral.

Sunday morning saw a good deal of snow on Ganghwa Island, although by the afternoon it had melted, turning everything from pretty to muddy.

Rectory of Ganghwa Onsuri Anglican Church

Like the church itself, the rectory was built in 1906, and was built under the supervision of Rev. Frederick Richard Hilary. In terms of layout, the rectory is a typical hanok, although the interior mixes both Korean and Western elements. It’s another example of how early Anglican missionaries tried to indigenize their faith and adjust to local customs. OK, how some Anglican missionaries tried to adjust to local customs — others, like naval chaplain and first Anglican bishop to Korea Charles John Corfe, apparently had a tad of difficultly adapting to local conditions:

“Being weak in colloquial Corean (more than weak–they say his pronunciation was “abominable”) he naturally had great trouble with his servants, who imposed upon him knowing his kindness. Stories were told about the attempts he made to get fresh toast, and his failures to get it. Allusion also has been made already to his hatred of ostentation. In consequence of this he specially dreaded the Chinese New Year, when it is customary for Coreans to come and make obeisance to their superiors. Corfe did all he could to avoid such scenes–not always with success. On one occasion a servant pursued him into a lady’s house, found him in the drawing-room, begged him to be seated and proceeded to knock his (the servant’s) head on the floor before him.”

One wonders what he did for mushy peas.

Anyway, there’s currently only one priest at the church, a nice young gentleman who’s into photography, although he shoots film rather than digital.

Jeondeungsa Temple

Well, if you’re in Onsuri, you might as well pop by Jeondeungsa, one of Korea’s most beautiful Buddhist temples. You’ve probably seen earlier photos of Jeondeungsa, but here are some more anyway.

As you can see above, Jeondeungsa is surrounded by a fortress wall, Samnangseong Fortress. The current walls probably date back to the Joseon era, and it was here on Nov 11, 1866 that 500 Korean archers ambushed a force of 160 French marines. After losing six men with 30 wounded, the French retreated, and soon after left the island for good.

The temple itself has a number of lovely buildings, including the beautiful Daeungjeon Hall, Treasure No. 178. At the corners of the hall, you can find carvings of grotesque, naked women holding up the roof. According to legend, the head woodcutter in charge of constructing the temple was swindled out of his money by the hostess of a local inn. This was his revenge.

Ganghwa Anglican Church

Ganghwa Anglican Church — again, you’ve seen it before — is one of my favorite pieces of Korean religious architecture.

Also known as Saints Peter and Paul Anglican Church, Ganghwa Anglican Church first opened in 1893. The current church, the construction of which was overseen by Rev. Mark Trollope, was consecrated by Bishop Charles “Where the bloody hell can I get decent piece of toast?” Corfe (see above) in 1900. King Gojong — looking to score points with the British, I’m told — lent the missionaries a palace woodcutter who had participated in the 1867 reconstruction of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The result was a splendid church marrying royal palace, Buddhist and Western architectural elements. The layout of the church ground, with its gates and bell pavilion, is quite similar to the layout of a Korean Buddhist temple. The dancheong, roof spines and gargoyles recall Korean official buildings such as one might see at one of Seoul’s royal palaces. The interior, meanwhile, is a hanok interpretation of the Western basilica. The church is only open for mass — I’ve been to it three times, and I’ve gotten in only once. If you’d like to see photos of the basilica interior, check out this photo taken last year.

Like Ganghwa Onsuri Anglican Church, Ganghwa Anglican Church has a beautiful hanok-style rectory located behind the church itself.

Ganghwa Anglican Church is a very charming place to visit — it sits atop a hill with a fine view of Ganghwa-eup and the surrounding mountains.

END NOTE: There is another hanok church in Ganghwa that I was hoping to visit, Seodo Central Methodist Church (built in 1923). Unfortunately, it’s located on Jumun Island, a small island an hour-and-a-half off Ganghwa’s west coast, and there are only two boats going there daily — 9:00am and 4:00pm.