Morijae Hall, Geochang

Morijae Hall commemorates the place where Jeong On (鄭蘊), a leading advocate of resistance against the Qing, retired to live in seclusion until his death, after the humiliating peace settlement of 1637 in which King Injo went before Emperor Taizong of Qing to surrender. Jeong On had attempted suicide at Namhansanseong Fortress but was saved by a royal physician (jeon-ui) and the magistrate of Gwangju. The site is a memorial hall (jaesa) built by Confucian scholars, comprising a shrine, Morijae Hall itself, Seomu (the west annex), Hwayeomnu Pavilion, an inner three-bayed gate, a side gate, and a single memorial stele. Hwayeomnu, used as the main gate, is a two-storey pavilion with a hip-and-gable (paljak) roof, three bays across the front and two bays deep, its columns fashioned from natural stone rounded into shape; to prevent the eaves of the ornate roof from sagging, supporting posts were erected beneath the eaves on all four sides to hold up the roof. Morijae Hall itself, the main building, stands on natural stone foundation stones and is a straight (il-shaped), hip-and-gable-roofed structure six bays across the front and two bays deep, where local Confucian scholars once gathered to honour Jeong On's scholarship and to study. As a memorial study hall (jaesil), Morijae is unusual in taking the form of a southern-region traditional house, and it is also notably large in scale. The present building was renovated in 1921.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Geochang, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산