Statue of Father Kim Dae-geon to be installed at the Vatican

The Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference announced on Wednesday that the blessing ceremony for the statue of Father Andrew Kim Dae-geon (1821-1846), Korea’s first priest, will be held at the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Sept. 16 (local time). The decision to erect the statue was made after Cardinal Yoo Heung-sik, Minister of the Clergy of the Vatican, requested his intent to dedicate the statue to the Pope in 2021 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the saint's birth.

The full-length statue measures 3.7 meters in height and 1.83 meters in width, depicting Father Kim wearing a traditional Korean hat and clothing. It will be installed on the external wall on the exit path leading to the grottoes. This will be the first time in the history of St. Peter’s Basilica for a statue of an Asian saint to be erected. The statue was created by sculptor Han Jin-seop, who graduated from the Department of Sculpture at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara, Italy.

The ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. on Sept. 16 (10 p.m. on Oct 16, KST), starting with a mass commemorating the statue installation at St. Peter’s Basilica.


Chin-Ku Lee sys1201@donga.com