Viviane Mun Yeong-in

Who they were

Viviana Mun Yeong-in was chosen at a young age as a lady of the Korean royal court. She drew close to Catholicism and grew in faith through contact with some of Korea's earliest believers, learning the catechism during a period of illness away from court and later being baptised by Korea's first missionary priest, the Chinese Father James Zhou Wen-mo. When her Catholicism was discovered she was dismissed from court, after which she devoted herself fully to religion, reading the lives of the saints and even expressing a wish to die a martyr, though her own family disowned her for her faith.

Arrested when the Shinyu persecution began in 1801, she wavered briefly under torture but then firmly professed her faith, saying she could not change her mind about God even if it meant death. She was beheaded at Seoul's Little West Gate on 2 July 1801, aged twenty-five, together with seven companions in the faith. With them, in the group of martyrs led by Paul Yun Ji-chung, she was beatified by Pope Francis on 16 August 2014 during his apostolic journey to South Korea.

The miracles

As a martyr she was raised to the altars without a miracle.

Why that counted as sanctity

Korean court lady martyred by beheading during the 1801 Shinyu persecution; beatified by Pope Francis on 16 August 2014 among the martyrs led by Paul Yun Ji-chung.

The cause

Connected on this site

• Paul Yun Ji-chung Blessed
  “With them, in the group of martyrs led by Paul Yun Ji-chung, she was beatified by Pope Francis on 16 August 2014 during his apostolic journey to South Korea.” — this site's research