Chungdong First Methodist Church, Seoul

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.256

Category

유적지

Era

대한제국 광무 2년(1898년)

Designated year

1977

Location

중구, 서울특별시— 서울특별시 중구 정동길 46(정동)

Coordinates

37.565393, 126.972735

This was the first Protestant church in Korea, constructed in the second year of the reign Emperor Gojong (1898). Originally it was shaped like a cross and was about 380 square meters wide, but enlargement works undergone in 1926 added space to the two wings, and now it is rectangular and about 578 square meters in area. The original shape of the building remains unaltered; the repairs only enlarged the wings and left the rest of the building untouched. It is a one-story brick building and the arched windows here and there give it an overall simplified Gothic look. The platforms, which are made of smooth, flat stones, disclose the skills at wood architecture of the Joseon Dynasty. The bell of the church is simple and plain like the undecorated inner columns. Overall, it is a plain and simple building after the North American church style.

Location