Yeongsanjeon Hall of Songgwangsa Temple, Suncheon

Songgwangsa Temple, on Jogyesan Mountain, is one of Korea's three great temples and a place of deep historical significance. The temple's name, 'Songgwang', is said to derive from Songgwangsan, the old name for Jogyesan Mountain, but there is no precise record of when the temple was first founded. According to the temple's records, this building was erected in 1639, the 17th year of King Injo of Joseon, and repaired in 1736, the 12th year of King Yeongjo. The building standing today is the result of repairs carried out in 1973. Yeongsanjeon Hall enshrines a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha and houses a set of paintings depicting the eight stages of the Buddha's life (Palsangdo), as well as a painting of the Vulture Peak Assembly showing the scene of Sakyamuni preaching. The hall measures three bays across the front and two bays deep, and has a hipped-and-gabled roof that, seen from the side, takes the shape of the character 八 (eight). The bracket sets supporting the roof eaves are arranged not only above the pillars but also between them, in the dapo style. The detailed joinery used in the building is vigorous yet simple, showing well the building techniques of the early Joseon period. It is a modest, unassuming building, raised on a small, compact scale to fit its narrow site.

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Where it is

Region

Suncheon, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물