SEOUL — It took the cab driver a few wrong turns, a shortcut through an alley and a hesitant ride down a narrow street before he found Myeong-Dong Catholic Cathedral atop a hill in downtown Seoul, Korea.

Nestled among high-rise office buildings in the Myeong-Dong neighborhood, the cathedral was built in 1898, the first brick-laid Gothic building ever constructed in Korea.

The cruciform-shaped cathedral, which took four years to build, is part of a larger Catholic complex that includes a monastery, cultural center, administration building, meeting rooms and a small church.

The 20 different types of red and grey bricks used to build the cathedral were fired in a brickyard at Han-gangt’ong. A plaque out front explains that because of a lack of brick makers in Korea at the time, masons, plasterers and carpenters were brought in from China.

Father Andres Park, one of six priests assigned to the parish, serves as head associate pastor under Msgr. Park Shin-eon, pastor. They minister to some 16,000 parishioners. Father Park, who was familiar with St. Paul Chung Korean Catholic Parish in Fairfax, estimates that 8 percent of Korea’s 45 million population and about 13 percent of Seoul’s 11 million people are Catholic.

Although the cathedral was the first, a few other Gothic-style churches were built later throughout Korea, but according to Father Park, most of them were destroyed during the Korean Civil War in the 1950s.

During military rule that followed the war, the cathedral became "an important national symbol of democracy and human rights," and "a sanctuary for student and trade-union protesters," according to The Lonely Planet guide book.

The cathedral was built facing the old palace where the king lived, according to Father Park. The statue of Jesus that stands out front was made by the well-known artist Choi Jong-tae in 1990. It faces Cheongwadae, or the "Blue House," their version of the White House. "It means Jesus guides and protects Seoul and the whole country," Father Park said.

Each priest or nun has a specific role in the work of the parish: education, Sunday school for the children, middle and high school students, liturgy, young people pastoral, evangelization and administration.

On a recent Sunday, people lined up outside the cathedral 10 minutes before the start of the next Mass. There are 12 Masses celebrated on Sunday alone — at 7, 9, 10, 11 a.m., noon, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 p.m., two Masses for children and youths in the small church — and two vigil Masses on Saturday evening.

The cathedral holds 1,200 people, and Father Park estimates that every Sunday 7,000 parishioners attend Mass. Tourists to Seoul often stop at the cathedral and at a table out front where they can buy delicate handmade wooden rosaries and holy medals, a nice change of pace from typical souvenirs.

Nearly halfway through the Mass, people stood and processed down the main aisle, not for communion, but to drop their monetary donations in baskets in the middle and front of the church. Father Park said this is customary throughout Korea. Not long after they line up for Communion.

Flat-screen television monitors were installed on the massive pillars after the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup Game. Donated by the manufacturer, the screens enable people sitting on the sides of the three aisles or in the back to see the altar through a very professional production of close-ups to wider altar shots.

A few women in traditional Korean dress attended the Mass and many other women wore handkerchiefs on their heads. Although the homily was in Korean, parts of the Mass combined Korean and Latin. Some of the music, such as "I Am the Bread of Life," was vaguely familiar, even when sung in Korean.

The simple interior is complemented by beautiful stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings and rich dark wooden pews. With the modern touches of the TV monitors, it is hard to believe that the church is over 100 years old. But like much of Korea, it is an intriguing blend of the old and new, tradition and innovation.