:Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang)
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox church
| name = Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
| fullname =
| other name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang.jpg
| imagesize =
| imagelink =
| imagealt =
| landscape =
| caption = Exterior of the church
| pushpin map = Pyongyang
| pushpin label position =
| pushpin map alt =
| pushpin mapsize =
| relief =
| map caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|38.981836|125.745733|display=title}}
| osgraw =
| osgridref =
| location = Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District, Pyongyang
| country = North Korea
| denomination = Russian Orthodox Church
| previous denomination =
| churchmanship =
| membership =
| attendance =
| website =
| former name =
| bull date =
| founded date =
| founder =
| dedication = Holy Trinity
| dedicated date = {{start date|df=yes|2006|08|13}}
| consecrated date =
| cult =
| relics = {{illm|Sergius of Rakvere|ru|Флоринский, Сергей Фёдорович}}
| events =
| past bishop =
| people =
| status = Parish church
| functional status = Active
| heritage designation =
| designated date =
| architect =
| architectural type =
| style =
| years built =
| groundbreaking = {{start date|df=yes|2003|06|24}}
| completed date =
| construction cost =
| closed date =
| demolished date =
| capacity =
| length =
| width =
| width nave =
| height =
| diameter =
| other dimensions =
| floor count =
| floor area =
| dome quantity =
| dome height outer =
| dome height inner =
| dome dia outer =
| dome dia inner =
| spire quantity =
| spire height =
| materials =
| bells =
| bells hung =
| bell weight =
| parish = Trinity Parish
| deanery =
| archdeaconry =
| episcopalarea =
| archdiocese =
| metropolis =
| diocese =
| province =
| presbytery =
| synod =
| circuit =
| district =
| division = Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia
| subdivision =
| archbishop =
| bishop =
| abbot =
| prior =
| subprior =
| vicar =
| exarch =
| provost-rector =
| provost =
| viceprovost =
| rector = Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il)
| dean =
| subdean =
| archpriest =
| precentor =
| succentor =
| chancellor =
| canonchancellor =
| canon =
| canonpastor =
| canonmissioner =
| canontreasurer =
| prebendary =
| priestincharge =
| priest =
| asstpriest =
| honpriest =
| curate =
| asstcurate =
| minister =
| assistant =
| seniorpastor =
| pastor =
| assocpastor =
| asstpastor =
| chaplain =
| archdeacon =
| deacon = John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol)
| deaconness =
| reader =
| student intern =
| organistdom =
| director =
| assistantorganist =
| elder =
| organist =
| organscholar =
| chapterclerk =
| laychapter =
| warden =
| verger =
| businessmgr =
| liturgycoord =
| reledu =
| rcia =
| youthmin =
| flowerguild =
| musicgroup =
| parishadmin =
| serversguild =
| logo =
| logosize =
| logolink =
| logoalt =
| embedded =
}}
{{Infobox Korean name
| hangul = 평양정백사원
| hanja = 平壤貞栢寺院
| rr = Pyeongyang Jeongbaek Sawon
| mr = P'yŏngyang Chŏngbaek Sawŏn
| koreanipa =
| context = north
| image =
| caption =
}}
The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity ({{korean|hangul=평양정백사원|context=north}}) is a Russian Orthodox church in Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District in Pyongyang, North Korea.{{cite book|author1=Do Kyung-ok|author2=Kim Soo-Am|author3=Han Dong-ho|author4=Lee Keum-Soon|author5=Hong Min|publisher=Korea Institute for National Unification(South Korea)|title=White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3GdQCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA221|date=24 September 2015|isbn=978-89-8479-802-1|page=221}} It is the first and only Orthodox church in the country, serving the small Eastern Orthodox community in North Korea, and one of only a handful of Christian churches there overall.
History
Kim Jong-il reportedly wanted to construct an Eastern Orthodox church in North Korea after a trip to the Russian Far East in 2002.{{cite book|author=Institute for Unification Education, Ministry of Unification (South Korea)|title=Understanding North Korea: Totalitarian dictatorship, Highly centralized economies, Grand Socialist Family|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gfmEBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA389|date=30 January 2015|publisher=길잡이미디어|pages=389–|id=GGKEY:Q35FXTAE44S}} Kim had visited the St. Innocent of Irkutsk Church in Khabarovsk on 22 August and admired its architecture and Russian Orthodox rites.{{Cite web | title = Orthodox Church of the Live-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang | publisher = Embassy of Russia to the DPRK | access-date = 1 March 2016 | url = http://www.rusembdprk.ru/en/russia-and-dprk/orthodox-church-in-pyongyang | archive-date = 4 August 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160804195414/http://rusembdprk.ru/en/russia-and-dprk/orthodox-church-in-pyongyang | url-status = live }} A Russian diplomat asked Kim Jong-il whether there were any Orthodox believers in Pyongyang, and Kim replied that believers would be found.{{cite web|url=https://www.nknews.org/2013/09/north-koreas-irreconcilable-relationship-with-christianity/|title=North Korea's irreconcilable relationship with Christianity|first=Andrei|last=Lankov|website=NK News|date=9 September 2013|access-date=2 June 2018|archive-date=30 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830080326/https://www.nknews.org/2013/09/north-koreas-irreconcilable-relationship-with-christianity/|url-status=live}}
There were no Eastern Orthodox priests in the country, so the {{interlanguage link|Korean Orthodox Committee|nl|Koreaans Orthodox Comité}}, established in North Korea in 2002, contacted the Russian Orthodox Church.{{cite book|last=Burdick|first=Eddie|title=Three Days in the Hermit Kingdom: An American Visits North Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g3TJ_-Tw3q0C&pg=PA181|date=26 May 2010|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson|isbn=978-0-7864-5653-6|page=181}}{{Cite web | title = Pyongyang: Orthodox community subject to authority of Alexei II | author = AsiaNews.it | work = asianews.it | access-date = 5 March 2016 | url = http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pyongyang:-Orthodox-community-subject-to-authority-of-Alexei-II-6742.html | archive-date = 25 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160325214602/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pyongyang:-Orthodox-community-subject-to-authority-of-Alexei-II-6742.html | url-status = live }} The committee sent four students to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Seminary in April 2003. 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. After the seminary, they were dispatched to Vladivostok to gain practical experience.{{Cite web | title = Kim Jong-Il and Religion: North Korea Builds an Orthodox Church | work = Spiegel Online | date = 11 August 2006 | access-date = 20 November 2016 | url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/kim-jong-il-and-religion-north-korea-builds-an-orthodox-church-a-431310.html | archive-date = 8 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160308061608/http://www.spiegel.de/international/kim-jong-il-and-religion-north-korea-builds-an-orthodox-church-a-431310.html | url-status = live }}
The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 24 June 2003. The church was dedicated on 13 August 2006 in the presence of Russian religious and political leaders.{{cite book|last=Hoare|first=James E.|title=Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZI-NARaLusC&pg=PA323|date=13 July 2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham|isbn=978-0-8108-6151-0}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
When the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, made an official visit to Pyongyang in 2024, he visited the church and participated in a brief liturgy.{{cite web|url=http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/74338|title=Visit to Church of Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang|work=kremlin.ru|date=19 June 2024}}
Worship
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. Very few locals attend the church.
The church has a parish of its own and is under the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia. However, the Korean Orthodox Church claims that the Eastern Orthodox Church in North Korea is part of its jurisdiction.{{Cite web |script-title=ko:암브로시오스 한국의 대주교 : “위험에 처한 것은 제가 아니고, 그리스도의 교회입니다.” |author=Presvytera Theodoti |script-work=ko:한국정교회 대교구 |work=Orthodox Metropolis of Korea |date=26 August 2017 |url=https://www.orthodoxkorea.org/%EC%95%94%EB%B8%8C%EB%A1%9C%EC%8B%9C%EC%98%A4%EC%8A%A4-%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%EC%9D%98-%EB%8C%80%EC%A3%BC%EA%B5%90-%EC%9C%84%ED%97%98%EC%97%90-%EC%B2%98%ED%95%9C-%EA%B2%83%EC%9D%80-%EC%A0%9C/ |language=ko |access-date=17 December 2018 |archive-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025150057/https://www.orthodoxkorea.org/%EC%95%94%EB%B8%8C%EB%A1%9C%EC%8B%9C%EC%98%A4%EC%8A%A4-%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%EC%9D%98-%EB%8C%80%EC%A3%BC%EA%B5%90-%EC%9C%84%ED%97%98%EC%97%90-%EC%B2%98%ED%95%9C-%EA%B2%83%EC%9D%80-%EC%A0%9C/ |url-status=live }}
The shrine is consecrated with a relic of {{illm|Sergius of Rakvere|ru|Флоринский, Сергей Фёдорович}}. The church also has a Holy Trinity icon.{{Cite web | title = The church of the Life-Giving Trinity consecrated in Pyongyang. The Russian Orthodox Church delegation on a visit to the KPDR | work = orthodox.cn | date = 14 August 2006 | access-date = 1 March 2016 | url = http://www.orthodox.cn/news/20060814pyongyangbeijing_en.htm | archive-date = 24 July 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170724143618/http://www.orthodox.cn/news/20060814pyongyangbeijing_en.htm | url-status = live }}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Pyongyang}}
- [https://www.korthodox.com/ Korean Eparchy of the Moscow Patriarchate]
- [http://www.goarch.org/news/goa.news1122/ Korean Orthodox Church Becomes Separate Metropolis; Begins Dialogue With New Orthodox Group in North Korea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054408/http://www.goarch.org/news/goa.news1122/ |date=4 March 2016 }}
- [http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=9377&size=A Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Pentecost in Pyongyang]
- [http://www.patriarchia.ru/db/text/1598569.html Делегация Русской Православной Церкви приняла участие в торжествах по случаю пятилетия освящения Троицкого храма в Пхеньяне] {{in lang|ru}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120617185816/http://www.dprk.mid.ru/xpam.html Православный Храм Святой Живоначальной Троицы В Пхеньяне] {{in lang|ru}}
- [http://www.newsru.com/religy/24aug2010/kndr.html Русский священник в Пхеньяне радуется за северокорейцев – жить сложно, но они истинные патриоты] {{in lang|ru}}
- [http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/news/news_view.php?0+95209 "Bells of an Orthodox Church Ring"] at Naenara
{{Pyongyang}}
{{Eastern Orthodox Church footer}}
{{Asia topic|Eastern Orthodoxy in}}
{{Christianity in Korea}}
{{Portal bar|North Korea|Christianity}}
Category:2006 establishments in North Korea
Category:Churches in North Korea
Category:Eastern Orthodoxy in North Korea
Category:Russian Orthodox church buildings in Asia
Category:Buildings and structures in Pyongyang
Category:Churches completed in 2007