Daejeonghyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo is a national educational institution built to hold memorial rites for Confucius and other sages, and to educate and morally instruct the local populace. Daejeonghyanggyo was founded in 1416, the sixteenth year of King Taejong of Joseon. It was relocated several times afterwards because the site was considered unfavourable, before being moved to its present location in 1653, the fourth year of King Hyojong. The Myeongnyundang, its lecture hall, was rebuilt in 1772, the forty-eighth year of King Yeongjo, and the Daeseongjeon, its shrine hall, was rebuilt in 1834, the first year of King Heonjong. It is said that Kim Jeong-hui, known by his pen name Chusa, taught students here during his period of exile. The school follows a "lecture hall in front, shrine behind" layout: the Myeongnyundang, the space for lectures, stands at the front facing north, while the Daeseongjeon, the space for memorial rites, stands at the rear facing south. The buildings that survive today include the Daeseongjeon, the Myeongnyundang, the Dongjae and Seojae (east and west dormitories), and the Naesammun (inner three-bay gate). During the Joseon period it was run on land, servants and books granted by the state. Today its educational role has ended and only its ritual function remains; since 1948 it has also housed the Munmyeong Academy. Books such as the Daejeonghyanggyo Jeolmok survive, most of them Confucian classics. Extensive repairs mean Daejeonghyanggyo no longer shows its original appearance, but its modest ornamentation and the absence of dancheong (traditional multicoloured paintwork) give the whole an overall air of simplicity. Large pine trees nearby add to its charm.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seogwipo, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산