A Memorial Without Monuments: Mangyeong Church Martyrsʼ Memorial
AEV Architectures + TONN architects
written by
Lim Woojin
photographed by
Park Woojung
materials provided by
AEV Architectures
edited by
Lee Sowoon
SPACE March 2026 (No. 700)
Memory Built upon Erased Traces Mangyeong-eup, Gimje, is a place where the typical Korean rural landscape unfolds. Situated on a low hill in a village, where time seems to have long stood still, this project is a memorial dedicated to Pastor Kim Jonghan and the 15 congregants of Mangyeong Church who were martyred during the Korean War. Beginning with a total absence of physical traces – such as belongings or records – the project faced the profound challenge of ‘reconstructing memory’. Because memory is formless and multivalent, the design opts to confront this troubling history through evocative sensory experience within its spaces rather than the reproduction of concrete forms. Composed simply of two external plazas (upper and lower), the building is designed so that the presence of the martyrs is revealed within the space through the play of light and shadow over the passage of time.
A Narrative of Martyrdom Written in Light and Shadow
The architectural highlight of the memorial is the rectangular Martyrs’ Patio, aligned with the meridian. This plaza, open to the sky, functions as a timekeeping device operating on the sun’s trajectory; it was precisely positioned according to the site’s latitude of 36.5°N. A cross-shaped steel beam is installed over the void, topped with metal sculptures by France-based artist Shim Jeeyean, symbolising ...
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Architect
AEV Architectures (Lim Woojin, Kwak Yunseok) + TON
Lim Woojin is a French government-certified architect (DPLG) who has been active, primarily in Paris, for the past 25 years. The Mangyeong Church Martyrs’ Memorial is his second work realised in Korea, following the Goseong residence Inwhite in 2017. Through bold yet delicate experiments that move across the boundary between technology and art, he has consistently explored new possibilities for architecture. These efforts have been internationally recognised with two consecutive Grand Prizes in the design category – the Leonardo da Vinci Award – at the Florence Biennale of Contemporary Art. In addition, he engages in various writing activities, including columns, in order to lower the perceived threshold of the study of architecture and communicate with the public. His major publications include Invisible City (2022).
