Suwon Hwaseong Martyrs’ Shrine stands at the heartof Suwon Hwaseong Fortress (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage).This is the site where the military command office, Topocheong,was located during the late Joseon period—a key center of security andadministration.

During the Byung-in Persecution (1866–1873),more than 80 recorded martyrs, along with numerous unnamed faithful, gavewitness to their faith here through beheading, hanging, flogging, starvation,and death in prison at the Topocheong grounds, nearby markets, and executionsites. The Church officially proclaimed the site a shrine on September20, 2000.

The shrine preserves the firstGothic-style church in Suwon, the former Suwon Parish Church(구 수원성당).At the entrance stands a bronze bell crafted in France in the traditionalFrench style, preserved for over 90 years. The site also holds PolliHwarang, once Suwon’s first private school (formerly SohwaElementary School), now a cultural and resting space for pilgrims and visitorsto Suwon Hwaseong.

The current church, built in 1979, enshrines therelics of St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon atthe main altar and the relics of five other martyrs in the underground chapel.