Jongmyo Shrine, Saint-Denis basilica exchange French, Korean visitor guides
Jongmyo Shrine in Seoul / Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service
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 with France’s Centre des Monuments Nationaux inside the Saint-Denis cathedral last week to officially exchange freshly published visitor guidebooks — offering French text for Jongmyo and Korean for Saint-Denis.
The initiative marks the first concrete deliverable under a cultural collaboration agreement signed during a bilateral summit in April. Both institutions sought to deepen diplomatic and heritage ties by linking their premier royal burial sites.
Jongmyo Shrine, built in 1395, houses the spirit tablets of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) kings and queens. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, it remains a sanctuary for centuries-old ancestral rituals that are themselves protected as intangible global heritage. Meanwhile, Saint-Denis stands as a masterpiece of early Gothic architecture, holding the remains of nearly every French monarch since the seventh century.
Under the new partnership, Jongmyo expands its foreign-language brochures beyond English, Japanese, and Chinese to include French. The updated pamphlets feature mapped routes alongside architectural details of the shrine’s iconic wooden halls, Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon.
Saint-Denis’s new Korean brochure represents an even rarer milestone.
Previously translated only into major European languages — English, Italian, German and Spanish — the Korean edition is the cathedral's first guide published in a non-European language. Beyond detailing the site’s royal crypts, the text provides visitors with updates on the ongoing spire reconstruction that began in March 2025.
Cultural officials see the brochure swap as a precursor to broader public exchanges between the two countries, which have seen rising mutual tourist interest driven by cross-cultural entertainment and tourism campaigns.
"This initial step ensures that visitors to both sacred sites can engage with rich royal histories in their native tongues," the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center said in a statement following the ceremony.
Building on the launch, the two heritage agencies are finalizing plans for a joint cross-exhibition later this year. The project will feature photographs of Saint-Denis inside Jongmyo Shrine, while visitors to Saint-Denis will view immersive visual galleries highlighting the stark, tranquil geometry of Korea’s Confucian shrine.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.