A Stone Chapel in the Mountains of Korea: Where Nature and Prayer Meet
When people think of an escape into nature, mountain country tends to come to mind first. In South Korea, the province of Gangwon holds that place in the popular imagination: a stretch of land where mountains meet the sea and travelers can encounter nature in something close to its untouched form. This writer, who prefers travel built around quiet and rest, returns to Gangwon more often than to any other region in the country. Tucked into that landscape sits a chapel that blends the region's natural beauty with an unexpectedly European atmosphere: Silverbell Chapel, in the town of Pyeongchang, the same county that hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Silverbell Chapel Frames Pyeongchang's Alpine Scenery from Daegwallyeong Pass
Silverbell Chapel sits just off the Daegwallyeong exit of the Yeongdong Expressway, the highway that carries most travelers from Seoul toward Korea's east coast. Despite its rural setting, the chapel is remarkably easy to reach, generally a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the greater Seoul area.
Perched on high ground near Daegwallyeong Pass, the chapel commands a wide view of its surroundings. From its elevated position, Pyeongchang's mountains and forests spread out in the distance, while high-altitude cabbage fields fill the middle ground. A broad lawn stretches out in front of the building, deepening the sense of quiet. Even a few minutes spent sitting on that lawn are enough to set aside the noise of ordinary life.
The Sanctuary at Silverbell Offers a Deeper Rest for the Soul
Once the surrounding scenery has done its work of unwinding the traveler, the sanctuary itself is the real destination. Silverbell Chapel departs from the typical look of a Korean church building. Its stone exterior calls to mind a small mountain chapel somewhere in Europe rather than anything typically found in Korea, and that unexpected style is part of what draws visitors from across the country.
Inside, a wood-burning stove stands at the center of the room, flanked by rows of traditional wooden pews. The space comfortably seats around fifty worshippers, modest by design rather than by accident. Hymns and gospel instrumentals play softly in the background, creating an atmosphere suited to quiet meditation on Scripture or unhurried prayer.
This writer spent time in one of those pews in prayer. Sitting inside a chapel set within God's created beauty made it easier to come coram Deo, before the face of God, undistracted by the usual noise of daily life. Most visitors, drawn mainly by the building's exterior, tend to linger outside for photographs rather than step inside. That leaves the sanctuary itself as a rare quiet space for anyone who wants time alone with God.
Silverbell Chapel Is a Worthwhile Stop Along Korea's Eastern Route
Pyeongchang, where Silverbell Chapel stands, works equally well as a final destination or as a stop on the way to Korea's east coast. Since the chapel sits right off the Daegwallyeong exit, any traveler already making that drive along the Yeongdong Expressway would do well to set aside a short detour. A visit here rewards even those looking only for a striking photograph, but for a Christian traveler, the chapel offers something more: the chance to take in beautiful scenery and, in a quiet sanctuary far from the noise of daily life, spend an unhurried moment in one of the ordinary means of grace, in the presence of God. It is a place suited to a rest that reaches both body and soul.
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