최양업신부 탄생기념경당 2024.12

2024. 12. 31. 10:10회원작품 | Projects/Religious

Thomas Choi Birth Memorial Chapel

 

 

 

 

작고 소박한 안식처, 최양업신부 탄생기념경당
충남 청양의 다락골, 최양업신부의 탄생지에 지은 작고 소박한 경당(經堂, chapel)이다. 경당은 그가 마지막을 지내면서 은신한 죽림굴(竹林窟)의 모습을 닮았다. 
최양업 토마스신부(崔良業, 1821~1861)는 조선 최초의 신학생이자 한국천주교회의 두 번째 사제다. 한국천주교회는 순교로 신앙을 증언한 한국의 첫 사제 김대건 신부를 ‘피의 순교자’, 당대의 유일한 한국인 사제로서 신자들을 위해 조선 팔도를 누빈 최양업 신부를 ‘땀의 순교자’라 부른다. 그는 2016년 교황청으로부터 공식 인준을 받아 ‘가경자(可敬者, Venerable)’로 선포되었다. 한국에서 순교자가 아닌, 증거자의 시복을 추진한 것은 최양업 신부가 처음이다. 그의 탄생 200주년을 기념해 대전교구는 청양의 생가터인 새터[新垈]에 최양업 신부를 기념하는 경당을 짓기로 했다. 경당은 청양군의 관광진흥사업으로 진행 중인 ‘다락골 관광자원 정비사업’의 핵심이 될 곳이기도 하다. 줄무덤이 있는 다락골 성지는 한국 가톨릭 신자들에겐 성지순례의 중요한 코스로, 청양군에게는 역사적 인물의 거점으로 관광자원의 역할을 해왔다. 최양업 신부의 생가터에 경당을 짓는 것은 그의 정신을 기억하는 일이자 지역의 거점을 제대로 정비하는 일이기도 하다. 

“최양업 신부님에게 잘해드리고 싶어요.” 
다락골 성지의 김영직 주임신부는 프로젝트를 의뢰하며 마음에 담은 이야기를 한다. 전국에 있는 103명 성인들의 성지는 이미 160여 곳을 넘어섰다. 이곳은 다른 성지(聖地)와 어떻게 다른가. 이곳에서 그를 어떻게 기억하게 할 것인가. 그 물음에 대한 건축적 대답이 필요하다. 생가는 사라지고 터만 남아있는 땅, 그리고 큰 감나무 한 그루. 그 모습이 이곳 성지의 방향 같다. 큰 집으로 채울 것이 아니라 가능한 작은 집을 짓고, 터를 그대로 비운다. 경당은 오랫동안 이어져온 이곳의 풍광을 거스르지 않으면서 그를 기억하는 자리가 되어야 한다. 그가 걸었던 밤길의 어둠처럼 빛보다는 찬란한 어둠이 자리 잡은 곳이 더 적합하다. 그래야 가톨릭 신자뿐만 아니라 방문하는 모든 이에게 자신을 돌아보는 장소로서의 역할을 하게 될 것이다.
2023년 4월 15일, 최양의 신부의 사제서품기념일에 맞춰 경당을 개관했다. 그 행사 자리에서 집을 만든 이야기를 했다. 이곳을 설계하기 위해 최양업 신부가 마지막을 지낸 울주군의 죽림굴을 찾았던 기억이다. 동굴은 그가 경신박해(1860년)를 피해 지냈던 곳이다. 상상이나 흔적이 아닌 그의 삶을 닮았던 온전한 장소는 오직 그곳에만 있었다. 

“5월 말 토요일 11시였어요. 오르막 산길을 40분간 걸어 땀이 범벅이 되었어요. 그날 온도는 24도, 동굴 입구는 14.5도가 찍혔죠. 동굴 안은 6.5도에 습도 40%. 바위 표면은 -1.5도였어요. 5월 말인데도 말이죠. 숨을 돌리자 동굴의 깊은 어둠에 눈이 점점 순응을 시작했죠. 입구로부터 들어오는 빛은 10럭스(lux). 동굴 앞은 초록의 참나무 숲이 가득했고 동굴은 고요했어요. 아… 하고 소릴 던졌어요. 소리는 울림이 없이 짧게 돌아 다시 귀에 닿더군요. 거친 표면 때문이죠. 조금 뒤 바람이 불자 숲의 소리가 세찼어요. 사그락사그락 쏴아아. 동굴 안에선 38데시벨(dB) 정도의 소리가 묘한 느낌으로 들렸어요. 그러나 두려움 속에 피신 중이던 당신이라면 나졸들이 그를 잡으러 온 것이 아닐까 흠씬 놀랠만한 정도의 소리였어요. 토마스 신부는 이런 긴장과 서늘함으로 여기서 3개월을 보내셨구나. 
동굴은 66제곱미터(20평) 남짓, 폭 4.5미터에 깊이 13미터, 높이는 3미터가 안 되는 길쭉하고 경사진 곳이에요. 특별한 건 제일 낮은 곳에 제대가 있어요. 신자들을 올려다보며 미사를 드린 곳 같아요. 마흔 살 최양업이 지내며 느꼈던 온전한 흔적이 그곳에 있었어요. 경당의 제대는 그곳에서 생각을 확신했어요. 섬기는 자의 자세로 낮은 위치에 두는 것이 맞겠구나.  
새터는 양업이 태어나서 6년을 보낸 곳이에요. 생가터에서 보면 그가 바라봤던 풍경, 느꼈던 바람과 새들의 지저귐은 200년이 지났지만 그대로예요. 부모인 최경환 성인과 이성례 복자의 오랜 삶의 터전이기도 하죠. 저는 이곳을 방문하는 이들이 여섯 살 양업이 바라본 풍경을 보면서, 40살 토마스 신부의 마지막 흔적인 죽림굴의 느낌을 전달받았으면 했어요. 마지막을 지낸 그 동굴처럼, 외부의 변화와 무관한 공간 속에서 자신과 그분을 만났으면 해요.
경당으로 들어가는 길은 짧지만 길고 어두운 통로로 눈이 적응하는 시간을 위해 만들었어요. 동굴 속 어둠을 만나기 위한 준비에요. 제대의 자리는 죽림굴의 상황과 태도를 닮게 낮은 자리로 만들었고, 천정엔 그가 밤길을 걸으며 만났던 조선의 별자리 ‘천상분열열차지도(天象列次分野之圖)’를 새겼어요. 조선의 밤하늘을 수놓은 별자리를 새긴 ‘천상열차분야지도’는 11년간 9만 리를 걸었던 최양업 신부의 밤길 안내서이자 벗이에요. 지도의 가장 안쪽에는 계절에 상관없이 항상 보이는 별들이 있고, 방위별로 283개의 별자리와 1467개의 별이 밝기에 따라 다른 크기로 표시되어 있어요. 제대위의 천정에 이 지도를 새겨서 어둠을 걸었던 그의 발걸음과 그의 정신을 기억하고 싶었어요. 그 아래에 놓은 돌 제대는 다락골성지의 사제관 마당에 박혀있던 돌이에요. 제대를 만들 돌을 고민하던 때 ‘이건 어때요’라며 신부님과 사무장께서 툭하고 말했죠. 돌은 운명처럼 이곳에 쓰이기 위해 기다린 것 같았어요.”

탄생기념경당은 이렇게 죽림굴의 모습을 그대로 투영했다. 동굴의 아늑함, 거친 내부와 찬란한 어둠, 낮은 곳에 위치한 제대의 모습까지를 닮게 했다. 생가터는 비워두고 가능한 낮고 작은 집으로 그곳을 바라보는 건축으로 만들었다. 이곳에 들어서며 만나는 긴 처마는 사람이 상주하지 않는 경당의 지속성을 위해 중요한 장치이자, 생가터를 바라보는 틀로서 한국의 처마를 본뜬 것이다. 축복식 행사 중 갑자기 내린 소나기에 사람들은 이 처마 아래에서 미사와 성가를 이어갔다. 이곳을 방문하는 이들은 좁은 통로를 여러 번 꺾어 경당 내부에 닿는 동안 암순응한 눈으로 어둠의 공간을 맞게 된다. 통로의 양쪽 벽은 대나무 문양을 찍어서 만들었다. 직경 60밀리미터의 대나무를 쪼개고 잘라 붙여서 만든 문양은 고립된 현장에서 만들어지는 한계와 제한된 비용을 고려해 금속형틀대신 꼼꼼한 수작업의 공정을 거쳤다. 벽체의 안팎에 연속된 이 수평의 흐름은 제대를 한 바퀴 돌아 이어진다. 그렇게 만나는 이 경당에서 사람들이 종교를 떠나 자신을 돌아보는 자리로서, 풍광과 하나 된 집으로서, 밤길을 걸으며 고독하게 자신의 소임을 다했던 최양업 신부의 마음을 느꼈으면 좋겠다.

 

 

외부 전경

 

A Small and Modest Sanctuary, Thomas Choi Birth Memorial Chapel
This is a small and modest chapel built at Darakgol in Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do –the birthplace of Father Thomas Choi. The chapel resembles the Jungnimgul Cave where Father Choi spent his final years. 
Father Thomas Choi Yangeob (1821-1861) was the first Korean to study theology in the Chosun era and the second to become ordained as a priest in the Korean Catholic Church. While the first Korean priest and martyr Father Andreas Kim is remembered by the Korean Catholic Church as the ‘martyr of blood’, Father Thomas Choi, as the only Korean priest of that time and who travelled the length of the Chosun peninsula to serve other followers of faith, is lauded as the ‘martyr of sweat’. In 2016, Father Thomas Choi was officially proclaimed as a ‘venerable’ figure by the Vatican Church. It was the first time in Korea that a witness of faith who is not a martyr received beatification. To commemorate the 200th year of his birth, the Catholic Diocese of Daejeon decided to build a memorial chapel at his hometown Saeteo in Cheongyang-gun. There are plans for the chapel to sit at the heart of Cheongyang-gun’s efforts to promote tourism in the region, known as the ‘Darakgol Tourism Asset Organization Project’. Because of the Julmudeom (unmarked graves of Catholic martyrs) in the region, the Darakgol Holy Site has been an important locus of pilgrimage for Korean Catholics and a primary tourist site for Cheongyang-gun as the base of an eminent historical figure. As such, building a chapel in the final place Father Choi called home is not only about commemorating his work but also about properly restructuring and preserving regional assets. 

‘I want to do my best for Father Choi.’
Father Kim Youngjik of the Darakgol Holy Site shared his thoughts when commissioning the project. The number of holy sites in Korea dedicated to 103 saints now amounts to approximately 160. How is this different from other holy sites? How will Father Choi be remembered in this place? These questions need to be answered architecturally. The site, which is now empty except for the large persimmon tree, seems to provide direction for this holy site. Instead of filling the site up with a large house, the residential quarters should be of as small a stature as possible to leave most of the site empty. Instead of overburdening the scenery that has long shaped this space, the chapel should seek to preserve his memory. Like the unlit paths that he walked at night, a brilliant darkness instead of bright light is more appropriate for this place. Only then will this chapel function as a place that invites all visitors regardless of faith to participate in moments of self-reflection. 

The chapel opened on 15 April 2023 to commemorate the day Father Choi was ordained. I spoke at the event about how I came to build this house by recounting how I visited Jungnimgul Cave at Ulju-gun, where Father Choi spent his final days, as inspiration for the design. Father Choi lived in this cave in 1860 while hiding from Catholic persecution. This was the only place in which I could find his life in its most vivid and artless state. 

It was 11am on a Saturday at the end of May. I was drenched in sweat after climbing up the mountain trail for about 40 minutes. The temperature that day was 24 °C, and the temperature at the cave entrance was 14.5 °C. Inside the cave, the temperature was 6.5 °C and humidity was 40%. The rock surface was about 1.5 °C despite being at the end of May. As I was recovering my breath, my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. There was about 10 lx of light coming in from the cave entrance. There was a lush oak forest in front of the cave and the cave was quiet inside. I gave a shout and the sound echoed back shortly without reverberations. This proved that the inside of the cave had a rough surface. Sometime later, a strong gust blew in from the forest. The rustling sound of leaves that went up to about 38 decibels when measured from inside the cave, provoking a peculiar feeling. But for someone fleeing from capture, this sudden sound would have been loud enough to scare one awake. This got me thinking about how hard it would have been for Father Choi to spend three months here, in such a cold and tense environment. 

The cave is a long and inclined space of about 20 pyeong (about 66㎡) with a width of 4.5m, depth of 13m, and height of 3m. Interestingly, there is an altar at the lowest point of the space. It appears Father Choi held masses there while looking in an upwardly inclined direction to the congregation. The tangibly real traces left behind by the 40-year-old were all there. It was then that I decided to place the chapel altar at this lowest spot, at the place of servitude. 

Thomas lived in Saeteo for about six years after his birth. The scenery that he saw from his home, the breeze that he felt, and the birds chirping in the background have not changed over the last 200 years. This place was also home to his parents Saint Francis Choi Kyunghwan and Blessed Mary Yi Seongrye for many years. I wanted the visitors to look out over the landscape that a six-year-old Thomas would have seen while also drawing attention to with the final traces left behind by the 40-year-old Father Choi at Jungnimgul Cave. I hope that people will come to engage with Father Choi and their own beliefs, like the cave where he spent his final days, in a space that has remained untouched by the changing world outside.
The short path leading into the chapel was designed to be a long, dark path to give sufficient time for visitors to adjust to the darkness awaiting them in the cave. The altar level was lowered to resemble the scene at Jungnimgul Cave, and I carved ‘Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido’ – a constellation map which was developed in the Chosun era – onto the ceiling to reenact how Father Choi might have walked and contemplated the stars above on many a night. To Father Choi, who traversed about 90,000 li (about 35,000㎞) on foot over 11 years, ‘Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido (Celestial Chart Stone)’, which maps the stars shining in the Korean night sky, was his friend and companion during those night journeys. The innermost part of the map shows the stars that are always visible regardless of season, while a total of 283 constellations and 1,467 stars are distinguished per direction and size according to their brightness. By carving this map onto the ceiling above the altar, I wanted to remind the visitors of the dedication and will of Father Choi as he soldiered on through those dark nights. The rock altar below was made using the rock that was previously embedded at the yard of the presbytery at the Darakgol Holy Site. While I was wondering where I should get the rock for the altar, the Father and manager at the Holy Site asked, ‘why not use this?’ It felt like this rock had been waiting for its destiny to be used for this very purpose. 

Thomas Choi Birth Memorial Chapel replicates the scene at Jungnimgul Cave. It accurately captures the enclosed cave-like atmosphere, the rough interior, the brilliant darkness, and the lowered altar. The chapel was built as a minimal, small and emptied building facing the site of his birth home. The long eave that first greets the visitors is an important device for the unoccupied chapel’s sustainability and the site of birth home-facing frame that takes after the typical appearance and function of Korean eaves. When there was a sudden downpour during the blessing ceremony, people continued their mass and singing under those eaves. As the visitors walk through the winding narrow corridor that connects the entrance to the chapel interior, people gradually adjust to the dark until they finally meet the space of darkness. The wall of this corridor in its both sides were made by stamping patterned bamboo. This pattern which was created by cutting and putting together bamboos of 60mm in diameter was produced with meticulous handwork instead of metal molds in consideration of the isolated site location and budget. The continuous horizontal flow lining both insides and outsides of the wall reunites after making a round around the altar. I hope that all visitors will be able to appreciate the dedication of Father Choi in his solitary night journeys through this chapel that invites all regardless of religion to a moment of self-reflection and this home that has blended into the scenery. 

 

 

기도실 창
외부 전경

 

 

심사평
최양업 신부 탄생기념경당은 조선 최초의 신학생이자 한국천주교회의 두 번째 사제인 최양업 신부를 기리기 위해, 다락골 성지와 가까운 신부의 생가터에 세워진 경당이다. 성소로서 신을 향한 종교적 공간의 본질과 기존 사회질서와 대척점에 선 조선 천주교의 역사성 속에서, 설계자는 최양업 신부의 생애를 온전히 공간으로 소환했다. 어두운 긴 복도를 통해 들어가 만나게 되는 경당은 대나무 거푸집으로 조각된 오목한 수평줄의 콘크리트 질감으로, 최양업 신부가 마지막 3개월을 보낸 동굴을 형상화한다. 아래로 꺼진 제대의 길고 커다란 돌은 은둔하며 미사를 집전하던 사제의 고독함과 간절함을, 천창 간접광 안에서 부유하는 밤하늘 별자리 천장은 사제를 기다리던 교우촌을 찾아 조선팔도를 누비던 신부의 고단했던 9만 리 길 밤길 여정을 이야기해준다. 최양업 신부 탄생기념경당은 작고 소박하지만, 공간은 강렬하고 경건하다. 사제의 생애는 헌신과 실천으로 신과 사람에 대한 사랑을 보여주고, 경당의 터와 지역은 조선 후기 근대시기의 역동적 역사를 증거한다.

Commentary
The Choi Yang-eop Priest Memorial Chapel was built near the birthplace of Choi Yang-eop, Korea’s first Catholic seminarian and the second priest in Korean Catholic history, close to the Darakgol Shrine. In this sacred site, embodying the essence of a religious space oriented towards God and the historical narrative of Korean Catholicism’s defiance of established social order, the architect has vividly translated the life of Choi Yang-eop into spatial form. Entering through a long, dark corridor, visitors encounter the chapel, with its concave horizontal lines carved into concrete using bamboo molds, evoking the cave where Father Choi spent his final three months. The sunken, elongated stone of the altar conveys the solitude and fervor of the priest as he celebrated Mass in seclusion, while the starry ceiling illuminated by indirect light through the skylight symbolizes his arduous journey across Korea—traveling 90,000 ri at night to minister to remote communities of faithful awaiting his arrival. The Choi Yang-eop Priest Memorial Chapel is modest and unassuming in size, yet its spatial presence is intense and reverent. The priest’s life, marked by devotion and service, exemplifies his love for both God and people. The chapel’s site and surrounding area bear witness to the dynamic history of the late Joseon period and the early modern era.

최양업신부 탄생기념경당
설계자 | 우대성 _ 우연히프로젝트 건축사사무소
시공자 | (주)듀라크씨오엔
건축주 | 재단법인대전교구천주교회유지재단(청양 다락골성지)
감리자 | 우대성 _ 우연히프로젝트 건축사사무소
설계팀 | 김종도, 송병철, 이연경
설계의도 구현 | 우연히프로젝트 건축사사무소
대지위치 | 충청남도 청양군 화성면 초록길 141
주요용도 | 제2종 근린생활시설(종교시설)
대지면적 | 1,054㎡
건축면적 | 117㎡
연면적 | 112㎡
건폐율 | 11.12%
용적률 | 11.12%
규모 | B1F - 1F
구조 | 철근콘크리트구조
외부마감재 | 노출콘크리트(대나무 문양)
내부마감재 | 노출콘크리트(대나무 문양)
설계기간 | 2021. 07 - 2022. 02
공사기간 | 2022. 05 - 2023. 04
사진 | 윤준환, 김용관
 구조분야 | 서울구조
 기계설비분야 | 우진설비
 전기분야 | 세종기술단
 소방분야 | 우진설비
Thomas Choi Birth Memorial Chapel
Architect | Woo, Dae Seung _ Woo-projects Architects
Construction | Builder Dularc
Client | Catholic Diocese of Daejeon(Cheongyang Daracgol)
Supervisor | 
Woo, Dae Seung _ Woo-projects Architects
Project team | 
Kim, Jongdo / Song, Byoungcheol / Lee, Yeonkyung
Design intention realization | 
Woo-projects Architects
Location | 
141, Chorok-gil, Hwaseong-myeon, 
Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea
Program | Type 2 Neighborhood Living Facilities (Religious Facility)
Site area | 1,054㎡
Building area | 117㎡
Gross floor area | 112㎡
Building to land ratio | 11.12%
Floor area ratio | 11.12%
Building scope | B1F - 1F
Structure | RC
Exterior·Interior finishing | 
Exposed concrete(bamboo pattern)
Design period | Jul. 2021 - Feb. 2022
Construction period | May 2022 - Apr. 2023
Photograph | Yoon, Joonhwan / Kim, Yongkwan
Structural engineer | Seoul Structural Engineer

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