Gapsa Temple Lecture Hall

Gapsa Temple stands at the foot of Gyeryongsan Mountain and dates from the Three Kingdoms period; it is said to have first been built by the monk Ado in the Baekje era, though this is not certain. During the Unified Silla period, the great monk Uisang rebuilt it on a large scale, making it one of the ten Hwaeom (Avatamsaka) temples of Silla. The Lecture Hall, standing between Haetalmun Gate and Daeungjeon Hall, was the building where monks expounded the Buddhist teachings; it burned down in the Jeongyu War of 1597 and was rebuilt afterwards. It measures three bays across the front and three bays to the side, in the form of a simple gable roof whose sloping sides form the shape of the Chinese character 人 (person). Bracket sets that both support the eaves and serve as ornament were assembled on entasis columns, which bulge slightly in the middle; because these bracket sets appear both above the columns and between them, the building is in the dapo (multiple-bracket) style. The paintwork has faded completely, leaving only traces of its original pattern, and the door panels have been altered considerably from their original form. A plaque reading 'Gyeryong Gapsa' (鷄龍甲寺), written by the military commander Hong Jae-ui, hangs on the building. Overall it is an unpretentious yet grand structure of the late Joseon period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gongju, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산