Church of the Life-Giving Trinity | |
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38°58′55″N 125°44′45″E / 38.981836°N 125.745733°E | |
Location | Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District, Pyongyang |
Country | North Korea |
Denomination | Russian Orthodox Church |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Dedication | Holy Trinity |
Dedicated | 13 August 2006 |
Relics held | Sergius of Rakvere |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Groundbreaking | 24 June 2003 |
Administration | |
Division | Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia |
Parish | Trinity Parish |
Clergy | |
Rector | Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il) |
Deacon(s) | John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol) |
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | |
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Hancha | |
Revised Romanization | Pyeongyang Jeongbaeng Sawon |
McCune–Reischauer | P'yŏngyang Chŏngbaeng Sawŏn |
The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity ( Korean: 평양정백사원) is an Eastern 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.
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 established in 2002 [5] contacted the Russian Orthodox Church. [6] The committee sent four students to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Seminary in April 2003. [3] [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), [7] [3] said it was difficult for them to adopt the Orthodox faith. 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]: xlix
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]
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 Eastern Orthodox Church in North Korea are part of the Korean Orthodox Church. [9]
The shrine is consecrated with a relic of Sergius of Rakvere . The church also has a Holy Trinity Icon. [10]
Very few locals attend. [8]: 323