Yeongsaam Hermitage

Yeongsaam was built in 1475 (the sixth year of King Seongjong) as a shrine by the brothers Kim Guk-gwang, who had served as Left State Councillor under King Sejo and held the title Gwangsan Buwongun, and Kim Gyeom-gwang, who had served as Left Third State Councillor, so that they might keep the traditional three-year mourning vigil beside the grave of their father, Kim Cheol-san, after his death. At the time of construction, monks were stationed there so that both sutra readings and ancestral rites could be performed, the building thus combining the functions of a hermitage and a guardian house meant to preserve and watch over the shrine over the long term. It originally comprised 26 kan (bays), but after repeated rebuilding only 4 kan remain today. According to its ridge-beam inscription, the present building was rebuilt in 1875, the twelfth year of Emperor Gojong. The building has a hip-and-gable roof and measures four kan across the front and two kan in depth; the easternmost kan serves as a kitchen, while to the west are two ondol (heated) rooms of differing size. A narrow veranda runs along the front of the ondol rooms, and the front windows and doors are of latticed ttisalmun type. Around the building, stones carved with lotus-flower motifs remain, showing a connection with Buddhist architecture, and on a rock behind the building is a rock-carved Buddha of the Goryeo period. Overall, the building's structural members are sound, and being left unpainted, it displays the simple yet refined character typical of late Joseon architecture.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Nonsan, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산