Jongmyo Shrine, Basilica of Saint-Denis exchange French, Korean visitor guides

Officials from Korea’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and France’s Centre des Monuments Nationaux exchanged French and Korean visitor guides at the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis near Paris last week. The exchange is the first concrete deliverable under a cultural collaboration agreement signed during a bilateral summit in April. Jongmyo Shrine’s new French guide adds mapped routes and architectural details, while Saint-Denis’s Korean guide covers its royal crypts and spire reconstruction. The agencies are also planning a joint cross-exhibition later this year.

Jongmyo Shrine was built in 1395 and houses the spirit tablets of Joseon Dynasty kings and queens.

Saint-Denis holds the remains of nearly every French monarch since the seventh century and is described as a masterpiece of early Gothic architecture.

The French-language guide expands Jongmyo’s foreign-language brochures beyond English, Japanese and Chinese.

The Korean-language Saint-Denis brochure is the cathedral’s first guide published in a non-European language.

The joint exhibition will display photographs of Saint-Denis at Jongmyo and immersive visual galleries about Jongmyo at Saint-Denis.

Published Oct 6, 2026 12:30 pm KST

Updated Oct 6, 2026 6:27 pm KST

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.

The Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis / Courtesy of Offices de Tourisme de France

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

上周，韩国皇家宫殿陵墓中心和法国国家古迹中心的官员在巴黎附近的圣丹尼斯大教堂交换了法韩两国游客指南。此次交换是双方在今年四月双边峰会上签署的文化合作协议的首个具体成果。宗庙的新版法文指南增加了路线图和建筑细节，而圣丹尼斯大教堂的韩文指南则涵盖了皇家墓室和尖顶重建的相关内容。双方还计划在今年晚些时候举办联合展览。

宗庙建于1395年，供奉着朝鲜王朝历代君王和王后的牌位。

圣丹尼斯保存着自七世纪以来几乎所有法国君主的遗骸，并被誉为早期哥特式建筑的杰作。

法语指南扩展了宗庙的外语宣传册，使其不再局限于英语、日语和中文。

韩语版的圣丹尼斯大教堂宣传册是该教堂第一本以非欧洲语言出版的指南。

此次联合展览将展出圣丹尼斯宗庙的照片，以及关于圣丹尼斯宗庙的沉浸式视觉画廊。

发布于2026年10月6日下午12:30（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月6日韩国时间下午6:27

首尔宗庙 / 图片由韩国遗产服务处提供

相距近5500英里的首尔宗庙和巴黎附近的圣丹尼斯大教堂，却有着惊人相似的历史使命：它们都是两国皇室王朝的最终安息之地。如今，为了迎接日益增多的国际游客，这两处历史遗迹正在互换语言。

上周，韩国皇宫陵墓中心的官员与法国国家古迹中心的官员在圣丹尼斯大教堂内会面，正式交换了新出版的游客指南——宗庙提供法语版本，圣丹尼斯提供韩语版本。

该倡议是今年4月双边峰会期间签署的文化合作协议下的首个具体成果。双方机构希望通过连接各自最重要的皇家陵墓，深化外交和文化遗产联系。

宗庙建于1395年，供奉着朝鲜王朝（1392-1910）历代君王和王后的牌位。作为联合国教科文组织世界遗产，宗庙至今仍是传承数百年的祭祀祖先仪式的圣地，这些仪式本身也被列为非物质文化遗产加以保护。与此同时，圣丹尼斯教堂则是早期哥特式建筑的杰作，安葬着自七世纪以来几乎所有法国君主的遗骸。

根据新的合作协议，宗庙的外语宣传册除了英语、日语和中文外，还新增了法语版本。更新后的宣传册不仅包含路线图，还详细介绍了寺庙标志性的木制殿宇——正殿和永宁殿的建筑细节。

圣丹尼斯推出的全新韩语宣传册代表着一个更为罕见的里程碑。

此前，该教堂的导览手册仅被翻译成英语、意大利语、德语和西班牙语等主要欧洲语言，而韩语版则是首部以非欧洲语言出版的导览手册。除了详细介绍教堂的皇家墓穴外，该手册还为游客提供了自2025年3月起正在进行的尖顶重建工程的最新进展。

文化官员认为，此次宣传册交换是两国之间更广泛的公共交流的先兆，在跨文化娱乐和旅游活动的推动下，两国之间的相互旅游兴趣日益浓厚。

“这一初步举措确保了参观这两个圣地的游客能够用他们的母语了解丰富的皇家历史，”皇家宫殿和陵墓中心在仪式后发表声明称。

继此次启动之后，两家文化遗产机构正在敲定今年晚些时候举办联合跨界展览的计划。该项目将展出圣丹尼斯宗庙内的照片，同时，参观圣丹尼斯的游客将有机会欣赏沉浸式视觉展厅，深入了解韩国这座儒家神社简洁而宁静的几何结构。

圣但尼大教堂 / 由法国旅游局提供

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。