Ganghansa Temple

Ganghansa Temple is a shrine built to honour the memory of Song Si-yeol (1607–1689), a scholar and statesman of the mid-Joseon period. Song Si-yeol, who rose in his lifetime to the post of Chief State Councillor, is said to have gazed toward Yeongneung Royal Tomb, the tomb of King Hyojong, whenever he stayed in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, arguing for the great cause behind King Hyojong's policy of a northern expedition. Later, when King Jeongjo made a visit to Yeongneung and heard this story, he had Kim Yang-haeng build a shrine to Song Si-yeol, honouring him with the title "Daero" (Great Elder) and naming the shrine "Daerosa". In October 1873 the name was changed to "Ganghansa" by Emperor Gojong, and today the shrine is known by either name, Daerosa or Ganghansa. The shrine escaped harm even during Emperor Gojong's abolition of seowon, Confucian academies, in 1871, when all but 47 seowon and sau shrines nationwide were abolished. Ganghansa Temple is composed broadly of a shrine area and a lecture-hall area. The shrine building measures three bays across the front and two bays on the side, with a gabled (matbae) roof, while the lecture hall measures five bays across the front and three bays on the side, with a hipped-and-gabled (paljak) roof. It also includes the ritual preparation house called Chuyangjae, the Daerosa Stele Pavilion, a hongsalmun red spiked gate, and other structures. Unusually, the shrine building of Ganghansa Temple faces west, said to be so that it looks toward Yeongneung Royal Tomb, a feature said to express the bond of loyalty between king and subject.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeoju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산