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Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang)

Coordinates: 38°58′55″N 125°44′45″E / 38.981836°N 125.745733°E / 38.981836; 125.745733
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Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
Exterior of the church
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity is located in Pyongyang
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
38°58′55″N 125°44′45″E / 38.981836°N 125.745733°E / 38.981836; 125.745733
LocationJongbaek-dong, Rangrang District, Pyongyang
CountryNorth Korea
DenominationRussian Orthodox Church
History
StatusParish church
DedicationHoly Trinity
Dedicated13 August 2006 (2006-08-13)
Relics heldSergius of Rakvere [ru]
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Groundbreaking24 June 2003 (2003-06-24)
Administration
DivisionPatriarchate of Moscow and All Russia
ParishTrinity Parish
Clergy
RectorFeodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il)
Deacon(s)John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol)
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Revised RomanizationPyeongyang Jeongbaeng Sawon
McCune–ReischauerP'yŏngyang Chŏngbaeng Sawŏn

The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Korean: 평양정백사원) is a Russian Orthodox church in Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District in Pyongyang, North Korea.[1] It is the first and only Orthodox church in the country, and one of only a handful of Christian churches there overall.

History

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Kim Jong-il reportedly wanted to construct an Eastern Orthodox church in North Korea after a trip to the Russian Far East in 2002.[2] Kim had visited the St. Innocent of Irkutsk Church in Khabarovsk on 22 August and admired its architecture and Russian Orthodox rites.[3] A Russian diplomat asked Kim Jong-il whether there were any Orthodox believers in Pyongyang, and Kim replied that believers would be found.[4]

There were no Eastern Orthodox priests in the country, so the Korean Orthodox Committee [nl], established in North Korea in 2002, contacted the Russian Orthodox Church.[5][6] The committee sent four students to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Seminary in April 2003.[1] All four were freshly baptized Christians who had formerly worked for the North Korean intelligence service. One of them, Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il), said it was difficult for them to adopt the Orthodox faith.[3] After the seminary, they were dispatched to Vladivostok to gain practical experience.[7]

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 24 June 2003.[3] The church was dedicated on 13 August 2006 in the presence of Russian religious and political leaders.[8]

When the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, made an official visit to Pyongyang in 2024, he visited the church and participated in a brief liturgy.[9]

Worship

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The church is presided over by Rector Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il) and Deacon John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol), graduates of the theological seminary in Moscow.[3] Very few locals attend the church.[8]

The church has a parish of its own and is under the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia.[3] However, the Korean Orthodox Church claims that the Eastern Orthodox Church in North Korea is part of its jurisdiction.[10]

The shrine is consecrated with a relic of Sergius of Rakvere [ru]. The church also has a Holy Trinity Icon.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Do Kyung-ok; Kim Soo-Am; Han Dong-ho; Lee Keum-Soon; Hong Min (24 September 2015). White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2015. Korea Institute for National Unification(South Korea). p. 221. ISBN 978-89-8479-802-1.
  2. ^ Institute for Unification Education, Ministry of Unification (South Korea) (30 January 2015). Understanding North Korea: Totalitarian dictatorship, Highly centralized economies, Grand Socialist Family. 길잡이미디어. pp. 389–. GGKEY:Q35FXTAE44S.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Orthodox Church of the Live-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang". Embassy of Russia to the DPRK. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  4. ^ Lankov, Andrei (9 September 2013). "North Korea's irreconcilable relationship with Christianity". NK News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  5. ^ Burdick, Eddie (26 May 2010). Three Days in the Hermit Kingdom: An American Visits North Korea. Jefferson: McFarland. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-7864-5653-6.
  6. ^ AsiaNews.it. "Pyongyang: Orthodox community subject to authority of Alexei II". asianews.it. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Kim Jong-Il and Religion: North Korea Builds an Orthodox Church". Spiegel Online. 11 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  8. ^ a b Hoare, James E. (13 July 2012). Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6151-0.[permanent dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Visit to Church of Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang". kremlin.ru. 19 June 2024.
  10. ^ Presvytera Theodoti (26 August 2017). 암브로시오스 한국의 대주교 : “위험에 처한 것은 제가 아니고, 그리스도의 교회입니다.”. Orthodox Metropolis of Korea 한국정교회 대교구 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  11. ^ "The church of the Life-Giving Trinity consecrated in Pyongyang. The Russian Orthodox Church delegation on a visit to the KPDR". orthodox.cn. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
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