A statue of St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon (1821-46), Korea's first Catholic priest, will be erected at the outer wall of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Above is a portrait of the saint.

By Lee Jihae
Photos = Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea 

A statue of St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-46), Korea's first Catholic priest, will be erected at the outer wall of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) on Oct. 17 announced that Pope Francis approved the request of Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, who expressed his intent to the pope to dedicate the statue to mark the saint's 200th birthday.

Catholic dioceses in Korea have agreed to jointly pay for the production of the statue.

Cardinal You began preparations for the artwork honoring St. Andrew.

The statue will be installed in a niche on the path leading to the cupola, or the domed roof, of St. Peter's Basilica. The niche was partially dug out to make it hollow.

The work will depict St. Andrew wearing a dopo (men's Hanbok) and spreading his arms to show his embrace of all things and emphasize the soft curves of his attire. Sculptor Han Jin-seop, who majored in statue at the Academy of Beautiful Arts of Carrara in Italy, will create the work.

The CBCK said the statue will be made using marble from Carrara and be 3.77 m high, adding that the dates of completion, installation and dedication have yet to be confirmed.

St. Andrew was beheaded in 1846 after dedicating himself to the dissemination of Catholicism in Korea. Canonized as a saint in 1984 by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Korea, the martyr is considered the patron saint of Catholic clergy in Korea and was designated a UNESCO World Monument last year.

This outer wall at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City is where a statue of St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-46), Korea's first Catholic priest, will be erected.

jihlee08@korea.kr