Jongmyo Shrine, Saint-Denis basilica exchange French, Korean visitor guides
Situated nearly 5,500 miles apart, Seoul’s Jongmyo Shrine and the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis near Paris share a remarkably similar historic duty: serving as the final resting places for two nations' royal dynasties. Now, the two historic sites are swapping native languages to welcome an expanding influx of international travelers. Officials from Korea’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center met…
Seoul's Jongmyo Shrine and Saint-Denis Basilica near Paris, located nearly 5,500 miles apart, share a remarkable historical role as the final resting places for two royal dynasties. To accommodate the growing number of international visitors, the two historic sites have initiated a unique exchange program. Representatives from Korea's Royal Palaces and Tombs Center met with France's Centre des Monuments Nationaux inside the Saint-Denis cathedral recently to officially exchange newly published visitor guidebooks.
This guidebooks are now available in both French and Korean, with French text for Jongmyo Shrine and Korean for Saint-Denis Basilica. This exchange marks the first tangible outcome of a cultural collaboration agreement signed during a April bilateral summit. Both institutions aimed to strengthen diplomatic and heritage ties by connecting their principal royal burial sites.
Jongmyo Shrine, established in 1395, houses spirit tablets of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) monarchs and queens. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it remains a sanctuary for centuries-old ancestral rituals, themselves protected as cultural treasures.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
