Yeongnyeongjeon Hall of Jongmyo Shrine

Jongmyo is the shrine where the spirit tablets of the kings, queens and meritorious subjects of the Joseon Dynasty were enshrined and rites performed for them. Yeongnyeongjeon Hall, part of Jongmyo Shrine, stands to the north-west of the main hall. It was built because, as time passed and the number of deceased kings grew, additional buildings had to be added or newly constructed. The hall was erected in 1421, the third year of King Sejong's reign, when the spirit tablet of King Jeongjong was to be enshrined at Jongmyo, in order to house the tablets of King Taejo's four generations of ancestors and of kings and queens whose tablets could no longer remain in the main hall. Today Yeongnyeongjeon Hall has four central chambers built higher than the chambers flanking them on either side; each of these central chambers enshrines the spirit tablets of Mokjo, Ikjo, Dojo and Hwanjo — the four generations of ancestors of King Taejo — together with their queens. From the fifth chamber on the west side through to the sixteenth chamber are enshrined, in turn, the tablets of King Jeongjong and his queen, King Munjong and his queen, King Danjong and his queen, King Deokjong and his queen, King Yejong and his queen, King Injong and his queen, King Myeongjong and his queen, King Wonjong and his queen, King Gyeongjong and his queen, King Jinjong and his queen, King Jangjo and his queen, and Crown Prince Uimin, also known as Crown Prince Yeong, and his crown princess consort. The building, which reflects the architectural style of the mid-seventeenth century, was designed with a structure, decoration and colouring kept simple and dignified, befitting its purpose as a place of ancestral rites. In parts of its structure it follows old practice, with plank doors and hanging blinds at the entrances, and instead of partition walls between the inner chambers, bamboo blinds are hung to divide the space. As a shrine for enshrining spirit tablets, it is one of the cultural heritage sites that best preserves old tradition.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물