Nabawi Catholic Church (화산천주교회(나바위 성당))

Nabawi Catholic Church in Iksan is one of Korea's oldest surviving Catholic churches, built in 1906 in a hybrid Korean-Western style on a riverside cliff above the Geumgang. The brick walls follow Western Gothic conventions but the steeply pitched tiled roof and wooden interior bracketing draw directly from Korean hanok carpentry. The site also marks the landing point of Korea's earliest Catholic missionary tradition — Father Kim Daegun is said to have first reached Korean soil here in 1845 after his ordination in Macao. A small adjoining museum traces the church's role in Korea's Catholic history. Allow about an hour. Pair with the Iksan Wanggung-ri site and Mireuksa.