Commemorating the History of the Land: Four Three House & Rectory & Jungmun Catholic Church

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Thanks God for Healing the Brokenhearted

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3​ 

Designed by Studio Heech, Four Three House provides Jungmum Catholic Church’s offices, holy gift shop and restrooms for church community and pilgrims. It also has the purpose of commemorating Jeju 4.3 Uprising and Massacre which was a tragic incident that happened between 1947 and 1954 on Jeju Island.  

The Four Three House was inspired by local forms and materials that reflect the long-standing local architectural characteristics of Jeju Island. The building has finished with achromatic cement tiles and its east side façade facing the parking lot where innocent civilians were killed during the 4.3 incident, stands as a ‘wall’ allowing only minimal openings. Visitors enter the restroom along the camellia-coloured tiles which created by artist ​Kim Moo-Yeol to remembering the 4.3 incident. The inside of the restrooms properly lit by natural light through roof lights that run along the outer wall of the building, and an independent sink allows visitors to wash their hands and enjoy the seascape outside through a panoramic horizontal window. The hidden garden outside on the West allows people to see around the wide-open landscape of Jungmun beach through local stone walls and existing pine trees. 

The building was planned to be built with minimum amount of details and a 500mm tile pattern determines the size and rhythm of all openings inside and outside. In addition, the existing pine trees have been preserved and local stones of Jeju were used in an integrated manner.

New rectory building is located between the tangerine fields and the existing old, pitched roof house on the north part of the site. Precast concrete lintels, honestly formed openings and corrugated steel roof show how the new building responds properly to its neighboring buildings and surroundings. 

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The hill on which the Jungmun Church is located is a place where innocent residents were sacrificed during the Jeju 4.3 incident. The Catholic Diocese of Jeju has designated the Church as the 4.3 Memorial Church since 2018 to remember and face the heartbreaking history. Pilgrims visiting the church will have time to comfort, soothe and heal the painful wounds of this place while washing their hands at the Four Three House and enjoying the beautiful landscape of Jeju beach. Many stories including history of the church, the faith and devotion of the Catholic community, the friendship between priests and the journey of healing, have been created during the course of the project. The 4.3 house will be remembered as a place where these stories are spread and shared.

Elevation(North & West)