Typically, religion is not the main protagonist in dramas. Instead, the conflicts are presented via the typical battle between good and evil. Still, much like in real life, in some dramas, we see the main characters going to church to pray or just to underscore that their lives are connected to God.
This Holy Week, how about observing the architectural beauty of these churches and learning about their histories? The Church is one of the most important places for Christians. It also represents one of the places where one can find a moment of peace and spiritual recollection. Indeed, these houses of worship, pieces of remarkable architecture, were designed to worship the Lord, often distilling the expression of spirituality into abstraction.
These are 7 of the most splendid churches in K-Dramas:
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Photo Gallery
By Metro.StyleNovember 03 2024, 10:03 AM
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Hapdeok Catholic Church
The Catholic Church was built in 1929 in Gothic style. It was preceded by the Yangchon Church built at Sanggung-ri, Godeok-myeon, Yesan-gun in 1890 (the 27th year of King Gojong's reign). Father Curlier, the first pastor of this church, built a Korean-styled church building on the current site in 1899 and relocated here, and changed its name to Hapdeok church.
Later, Perrin P., the seventh pastor, built the present brick Gothic church in 1929. In 1960, the New Hapdeok church became independent and the name of the original cathedral was changed to the Old Hapdeok Church.
From the early days of Catholicism in Korea, the Hapdeok district has been the site of significant historical interest. This brick church is characterized by the façade with two bell towers that are located in some Gothic churches in Germany.
The interior's barrel vault, arches and columns are articulated by the use of red bricks against plastered walls, emphasizing the structure's graceful lines.
This church appears in the drama Angel's Last Mission: Love (KBS,2019), starring Kim Myung-soo (Kim Dan) and Shin Hye-sun (Lee Yeon-seo) as the home of Kim Dan's Sunbae angel.
Bangju Church was designed by architect Jun Itami, and is located in Sangcheon village. Its name comes from the word bangju translatable as Noah's Ark, in fact this church resembles an ark floating on the water.
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Bangju Church
The building is a single block surrounded by water; the light in the interior is created by the tall rectangular and symmetrical windows.
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Bangju Church
It is a very simple church, where the only element of decoration is represented by the geometric pattern of the tiles on the roof, which are inspired by Austrian churches.
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Bangju Church
Jun Itami is an architect born in Tokyo, but he has South Korean ancestry. He graduated in architecture from the Musashi Institute of Technology and won numerous awards including the Korea Institute of Architect award (2001) and the Kim Swoo-geun Award (2006). The church of Bangiu is present in the drama When I Was the Most Beautiful (MBS, 2020) is a South Korean romantic television series starring Im Soo-hyang, Ji Soo, Ha Seok-jin and Hwang Seung-eon. The series tells the story of a woman ceramic artist who falls in love with two brothers.
Uijeongbu Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral founded in 1953 and part of the Korean cultural heritage because it is linked to the history of Catholicism in South Korea.
Photo Credit:
Still from Start Up (2020)
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Uijeongbu Cathedral
The exterior recalls English churches with exposed bricks and a single bell tower; the interior is more modern with fully plastered walls and no decoration.
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Uijeongbu Cathedral
The interior is more modern with fully plastered walls and no decoration, save for the slim columns which render lightness in the space. Instead of church pews, singular chairs populate the interior.
Photo Credit:
Still from Start Up (2020)
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Uijeongbu Cathedral
This cathedral appears in the drama Start-Up (Netflix, 2020) where Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) accompanies his grandmother to pray, while in the last episode nam do-sa (Nam Joo-hyuk) will accompany Dal-mi to church.
Photo Credit:
Still from Start Up (2020)
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Uijeongbu Cathedral
Photo Credit:
Still from Start Up (2020)
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Yakhyeon Cathedral
Yakhyeon Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church located in the Jungnim-dong district of Seoul, In jung district. The church itself is a gorgeous red brick building in the Gothic style.
Photo Credit:
Still from Do do sol sol la sol (Netflix, 2020)
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Yakhyeon Cathedral
Originally built in 1892, it was reconstructed after a fire. It is a church with exposed bricks with very simple arches and capitals, which divide the central nave, while in the apse there are three richly decorated and colorful windows giving solemnity to the religious environment.
Photo Credit:
Still from Do do sol sol la sol (Netflix, 2020)
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Yakhyeon Cathedral
This cathedral appears in the drama Do do sol sol la la sol (Netflix, 2020) which tells the story of pianist Goo Ra-ra (Go Ara) and young Sunwoo Joon (Lee Jae-wook) where it will be used to promote the wedding planning activity of the young friends of the protagonists.
Photo Credit:
Still from Do do sol sol la sol (Netflix, 2020)
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Yakhyeon Cathedral
Photo Credit:
Still from Do do sol sol la sol (Netflix, 2020)
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Yakhyeon Cathedral
Photo Credit:
Still from Do do sol sol la sol (Netflix, 2020)
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Yakhyeon Cathedral
Photo Credit:
Still from Do do sol sol la sol (Netflix, 2020)
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Yakhyeon Cathedral
Photo Credit:
Still from Do do sol sol la sol (Netflix, 2020)
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The Shrine of Mirinae
The Shrine of Mirinae is a Catholic complex with three churches: the cathedral commemorating the Korean martyrs, the shrine of Mirinae, and the Catholic Church of Mirinae.
Photo Credit:
Still from Goblin (2016)
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The Shrine of Mirinae
This complex is located in the northern part of the village of Misan-ri. The interior of the sanctuary follows the Romanesque style of using exposed bricks. The apse is slightly elevated and with the French Romanesque-inspired ambulatory.
Photo Credit:
Still from Goblin (2016)
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The Shrine of Mirinae
It is a very large and high-ceilinged church.
Photo Credit:
Still from Crash Landing On You (2019)
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The Shrine of Mirinae
The churches of this complex appear in numerous dramas: Crash Landing of you (Netflix,2019), Memories of the Alhambra (Netflix, 2018), Goblin (tvN, 2016) and Last Mouse (tvN, 2021) with Lee Seung-gi.
Photo Credit:
Still from Memories of Alhambra (2018)
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Church of the Heart by Tadao Ando
Church of the heart of Tadao Ando is located within the Maiim Vision Village complex communication center of the Maiim Group, a brand that produces food and cosmetics for health.
Photo Credit:
Still from What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (Netflix, 2018)
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Church of the Heart by Tadao Ando
Three buildings belonging to the Church of the Heart are situated in a wooded setting and are designed with the understanding of nature.
Photo Credit:
Still from What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (Netflix, 2018)
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Church of the Heart by Tadao Ando
The Church of the Heart projects a silhouette of the cross. The space exudes harmony in its materiality: concrete, glass and light.
Photo Credit:
Still from What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (Netflix, 2018)
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Church of the Heart by Tadao Ando
This cozy and understated chapel was designed to play up the acoustics and music. Tandao Ando's church appears in the drama What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (tvN, 2018) starring Park Seo-joon (Lee Young-joon) and Park min-Young (Kim Mi-soo), and is the scene where CEO Lee Young-joon asks Secretary Kim Mi-so to marry her.
Photo Credit:
Still from What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (Netflix, 2018)
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The Shrine of Our Lady of Rosary
In the drama Record of Youth (2020), the two protagonists drive to Namyang, not far from Seoul, to visit a sacred place, The Shrine of Our Lady of Rosary by Mario Botta. Though this project started in 2011, it is not yet finished, and consists of a large park with some architectural elements and the large basilica being completed.
Photo Credit:
Still from Record of Youth (2020)
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The Shrine of Our Lady of Rosary
The basilica consists of 2300 seats at the top and a 330-seat chapel with offices, amenities and a small shop. The main façade opens onto the valley and is characterized by two large cylindrical brick apses 40 m high in the middle of which there is a lookout with panoramic terrace.
Photo Credit:
@mariobottaarchitetti_official
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The Shrine of Our Lady of Rosary
The sacred building is always designed following the same archetype. What changes over the centuries is the architect's interpretation of spirituality. Inside the basilica are works of the artist Giuliano Vangi whom Botta has commissioned a wooden Christ 3.60 meters high that will be hung 9 meters high with large arms to welcome the many faithful. Two drawings by Giuliano Vangi will be added: the Last Supper and The Annunciation. These drawings 3 meters high and developed for 40 meters in length will be transferred to the glass with an experimental screen printing technique, their peculiarity is that they have been drawn both on the front and on the back returning to the faithful the representation of the two sacred moments from two different points of view.