In 1845, in Shanghai, Andrew Kim Dae-geon became the first Korean-born person ever ordained a Catholic priest. At the time, Joseon Korea was in the middle of severe, sustained persecution of Catholics — becoming a priest and returning home wasn't a career choice, it was a decision that put his life on the line. After his ordination, Father Kim returned to Korea, and tradition holds that the riverside landing near what's now Nabawi Catholic Church was where he first set foot back on Korean soil.
Nabawi Church was built in 1907 to commemorate that landing. The mountain the church sits on is said to have been named "Hwasan" (Flower Mountain) by the renowned late-Joseon scholar Song Si-yeol, who was struck by its scenic beauty — and the name of the surrounding district, Hwasan-ri, comes from the same source. Knowing that this landmark moment in Korean Catholic history — the return of the country's first ordained priest — took place under the constant threat of execution changes how the church's quiet, peaceful setting today reads; the tension of that earlier era is layered underneath the calm.