In 2021, after the coronavirus vaccine appeared and airport doors reopened, she left for the French port city of Le Havre, living the leisurely life of a full-time housewife, using the excuse of her husband's appointment as an expatriate worker.
At a time when leisure was turning into boredom and laziness, she was intrigued that they were looking for someone to explain Le Havre's world cultural heritage in Korean, so she started receiving training. She wondered why this city, unlike other cities in France, is so crowded with square apartments and found the reason.
In September 1944, at the end of World War II, the Allied forces bombed this area, where German troops had already withdrawn, based on incorrect information, resulting in the deaths of over 5,000 of the 160,000 residents and the displacement of over 80,000 people. Auguste Perret, the architect who oversaw the post-war reconstruction of Le Havre, quickly created a modern residence using concrete, his nickname, ‘the poet of concrete’.
Among his buildings, the one that stands out most is St. Joseph's Cathedral, which boasts a height of 107 meters. This cathedral, which does not look like a religious building on the outside, resembles a lighthouse from the sea 60km away from the coast due to its size. Those who lost their lives and homes due to bombing for unknown reasons made this massive structure of 50,000 tons of concrete and 700 tons of molten iron a symbol of hope.
St. Joseph's Cathedral was built to comfort the workers who built and repaired ships in this old port city. While all kinds of rare and luxurious things from around the world were brought into ports and transported to Paris along the Seine River, carpenters would have built and repaired ships for the well-being of those going out on rough seas. Saint Joseph, who comforted them through their hard labor, has now become a father who embraces those who suffer and groan from the absurdity and cruelty of war. It is said that Auguste Perret, an atheist, died shortly after being baptized after starting the construction of this cathedral. Did Perret, as a famous architect, feel so helpless in the face of the horrors of the war? He, too, may have been rebuilding the cathedral and longing for the love of a saint who silently illuminates the world like a lighthouse.
The teacher who taught her said he was going to St. Joseph's Cathedral with his high school students who were struggling with their identity as children of immigrants. For these children, most of whom are Muslim, the tall tower of this church, visible from anywhere in the city, symbolizes the people who persistently lived their daily lives despite the ruins of war. The teacher said that he tells the children to believe that the lighthouse will continue to shine and bravely move forward into the future like ships sailing into the open sea.
St. Joseph's Cathedral conveys the same message to the writer, who was lost in the open sea while trying to escape further, leaving behind all the noisy events in Korea. We are never to drift in despair, the lighthouse is always there, so don’t look away, keep your eyes on the light, have courage, and come quickly.
