5/5 Brenden W. 7 months ago on Google
Alongside
the
Mekong
River
sits
one
of
the
most
majestic
European
buildings
in
northeastern
Thailand
-
home
to
Thailand’s
seven
Catholic
martyrs,
Church
of
the
Our
Lady
of
The
Martyrs
of
Thailand
Shrine
is
also
the
largest
Catholic
church
in
Thailand.
During
World
War
II,
and
under
a
climate
of
anti-French
sentiment,
Thai
authorities
ordered
churches
to
be
closed
in
Sakon
Nahkon
and
Nakhon
Phanom.
As
rumours
spread
that
Catholics
were
spying
for
France,
all
Catholic
missionaries
were
given
notice
on
November
9th
1940
that
they
had
48
hours
to
evacuate
Thailand.
The
shrine
was
constructed
in
honour
of
the
seven
Christian
martyrs
in
Mukdahan
who
sacrificed
their
lives
to
protect
their
religion.
This
was
at
a
time
when
Thailand
had
expelled
foreign
missionaries
from
this
area
because
it
wanted
the
local
population
to
convert
to
Buddhism.
But
the
local
Christians
refused.
Seven
of
them
were
shot
dead
by
Thai
officials
in
December
1940.
They
have
since
been
recognized
by
Pope
John
Paul
II
as
Martyrs,
and
were
sent
onto
the
path
of
sainthood
with
a
Beatification
ceremony
in
1989.
When
you
visit
the
Church
of
the
Our
Lady
of
The
Martyrs
of
Thailand
Shrine
you’ll
discover
the
church,
the
story
of
the
seven
martyrs
hung
on
the
inside
wall
of
the
church,
the
story
of
the
seven
martyrs
behind
the
church
altar,
the
former
home
of
the
martyrs
and
across
the
road
a
memorial
and
inside
the
cemetery
is
the
gravesites
of
the
martyrs.
We
accessed
this
church
with
a
rental
car.
There
appeared
to
be
limited
transport
options
to
visit
this
site.
Our
Lady
of
the
Seven
Martyrs
of
Thailand
Shrine
is
known
locally
as
Wat
Ban
Song
Khon.
