Gwangyang Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo was a state educational institution established in the provinces during the Goryeo and Joseon periods to teach Confucianism. Its central buildings are the Daeseongjeon, a shrine hall enshrining the spirit tablets of Confucius and other sages, and the Myeongnyundang, a lecture hall. Gwangyang Local Confucian School was founded in 1397, the seventh year of King Taejo. It was burned down during the Japanese invasions of 1592, and in 1613, the fifth year of King Gwanghaegun, the magistrate of Gwangyang and the local Confucian community joined forces to rebuild the Daeseongjeon, with the other buildings following gradually. It was repaired several times after that, but was completely destroyed during the Korean War. Reconstruction began in 1966 with the rebuilding of the entrance gate, Punghwaru, using stone pillars, and the other buildings were subsequently restored. The buildings that survive today are the Daeseongjeon, Myeongnyundang, Punghwaru, and the east and west dormitories, Dongjae and Seojae. Unlike the usual layout, in which a learning space centred on the Myeongnyundang stands at the front and a ritual space centred on the Daeseongjeon at the rear, the buildings here are arranged freely. During the Joseon period the school received land, books and slaves from the state and used them to teach students, but after the Gabo Reform of 1894 its educational function ceased, and it now holds ancestral rites only in spring and autumn.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwangyang, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산