Biography
Magdalena Son So-byog
About Magdalena Son So-byog
Magdalena Son So-byog was born into a Catholic family in Seoul in 1801. Her father was exiled during the persecution that year, and after her mother died she was raised by her grandmother. She married Peter Choe Chang-hub and was skilled at sewing and embroidery.
Of their eleven children, most died young; Barbara Choe Yong-i and the youngest daughter survived. The encyclopedia records that Magdalena and Peter received baptism during the epidemic of 1821.
During the persecution of 1839, she was arrested with family members after religious objects were discovered at their home. Her young daughter accompanied her in prison, but Magdalena placed the child in a relative’s care.
She refused to deny her faith or disclose fellow Catholics’ whereabouts despite severe punishment. She was executed at Tang-kogae near Seoul on January 31, 1840.
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