Siméon-François Berneux (14 May 1814 – 8 March 1866) was a French Catholic missionary to Asia, and a member of the

Paris Foreign Missions Society The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons de ...

who was canonized as a saint. Berneux was executed in the anti-Christian purges at

Saenamteo Saenamteo is a location on the north bank of the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. During the Joseon Dynasty it was a sandy area outside the city walls. that was used punishment of political prisoners, including Roman Catholic believers, pries ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, Korea, in 1866. His death provoked the

French campaign against Korea The French expedition to Korea (french: Expédition française en Corée, ) was an 1866 punitive expedition undertaken by the Second French Empire against Joseon Korea in retaliation for the execution of seven French Catholic missionaries. ...

the same year.

Biography

Siméon-François Berneux was born in Château-du-Loir on 14 May 1814 and entered the Seminary of Foreign Missions in 1831 at the age of seventeen. In 1843 he entered the Seminary of

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le ...

to complete his studies. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...

on 20 May 1837 and appointed as Professor of Theology at the Foreign Missions Seminary in October 1838. Berneux departed from

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, ver ...

on 12 February 1840 and arrived at Anyer in Java on 31 May. He spent the summer in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

before sailing to

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

. In January 1841 he sailed to

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, inclu ...

. In Vietnam he was imprisoned and taken to

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and adm ...

for trial, where he arrived on 28 May. In 1842 he was convicted of proselytism and sentenced to death, a sentence which was indefinitely postponed. He was released on 12 March 1843 and set sail to return to France. However, at the Isle of Bourbon (now

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

), he received permission to return to Macao. He was appointed to begin missions in Manchuria, and arrived in the

Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (th ...

on 15 March 1844. Berneux was consecrated as bishop on 27 December 1854, appointed

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox a ...

of Capsus and

Apostolic Vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles * Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chu ...

of Corea. The previous Apostolic Vicar of Korea, Jean-Joseph-Jean-Baptiste Ferréol, had been consecrated in 1843 and ministered in Korea from 1845 until his death in 1853. Berneux sailed from Shanghai to Korea in January 1856 on a Chinese ship, arriving in Korean waters on 15 March. They met a vessel owned by Korean Christians on

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Ho ...

and were landed near Seoul. Entering the city on foot, Berneux and his company were taken to the house of

Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy Marie-Nicolas-Antoine Daveluy (16 March 1818 – 30 March 1866) was a French missionary and saint. His feast day is March 30, and he is also venerated along with the rest of the 103 Korean martyrs on September 20. Biography Antoine Dav ...

, a French priest who had come to Korea along with Bishop Ferréol. Berneux set up a residence in

, living and working secretly. In 1866 Berneux was arrested and put on trial. In February 1866 he was repeatedly interrogated under torture, and sentenced to death. He was executed by decapitation on 8 March 1866 at

outside Seoul. Daveluy served as Apostolic Vicar for a short time until he was also executed on 30 March. The deaths of Berneux and other Catholic missionaries in Korea was followed by a French punitive expedition which reinforced the Korean policy of isolationism.

Canonization

Berneux was beatified by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

on 6 October 1968 and canonized on 6 May 1984 by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. His feast day is 7 March, and he is also venerated along with the rest of the 103

Korean Martyrs The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution against Catholics during the nineteenth century in Korea. Between 8,000–10,000 Korean Christians were killed during this period. 103 Catholics were canonized ''en masse'' in May 198 ...

on 20 September. His relics were brought to Berlin in 2001 and are held in the Institut St. Philipp Neri in Berlin, Germany.

References

Bibliography

''The Lives of the 103 Martyr Saints of Korea 37: Saint Siméon François Berneux, Bishop (1814-1866)''
Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea Newsletter No. 51 (Summer 2005). *Frédéric Pichon (1872)
''The Life of Monseigneur Berneux, Bishop of Capse, Vicar-Apostolic of Corea''
Burns, Oates, and Company, London. * LECLEIR, Stefaan, Siméon-François Berneux (1814-1866), Missionsbischof und Märtyrer in Korea, Böhlau, Köln, 2000.

External links

Profiles of Saints

Archives of the Paris Foreign Missions Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berneux 1814 births 1866 deaths 19th-century French Roman Catholic priests Korean Roman Catholic priests Korean Roman Catholic saints French Roman Catholic saints Paris Foreign Missions Society missionaries Roman Catholic archbishops of Seoul 19th-century Christian saints 19th-century Roman Catholic martyrs 19th-century executions by Korea French people executed abroad Executed people from Pays de la Loire Roman Catholic missionaries in Korea Roman Catholic missionaries in Vietnam Roman Catholic missionaries in the Philippines Roman Catholic missionaries in China French expatriates in Korea French expatriates in Vietnam French expatriates in the Philippines French expatriates in China People executed by Korea by decapitation Roman Catholic bishops of Seoul