Daeseongjeon Shrine of Najuhyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo, a local Confucian school, is an educational institution established by the state to hold memorial rites for Confucius and other sages and to educate and edify the local populace. Najuhyanggyo was founded in the seventh year of King Taejo of Joseon (1398) and carried out both memorial and educational functions until the new school system was introduced, after which it has continued only its memorial function. Daeseongjeon Shrine is where the memorial rites are held, and it is usually positioned higher than Myeongnyundang Hall, the lecture hall used for education. At Najuhyanggyo, however, the positions of Myeongnyundang Hall and Daeseongjeon Shrine are notably reversed. The building is five bays across the front and four bays deep, with a hipped-and-gabled roof that forms the shape of the character for "eight" when seen from the side. The bracket structure supporting the eaves is in the jusimpo style, found only above the pillars, while flower-shaped supports are set between the pillars to bear the members above. The interior floor is wooden, and the ceiling is an open, exposed-rafter ceiling. Its layout and detailed construction techniques offer a fine example of the typical Daeseongjeon style of mid-Joseon hyanggyo, and together with the Seoul Munmyo Confucian Shrine, Gangneunghyanggyo, and Jangsuhyanggyo, it ranks among the largest and most important hyanggyo heritage sites.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Naju, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물