Songsansa Temple Site

The Songsansa Temple Site is the site of a shrine where memorial rites were held to honour the spirits of those who remained loyal to Goryeo to the end, upholding their integrity until death. It is the site where the spirit tablets of six loyal subjects of the late Goryeo period — Jo Gyeon, Won Seon, Yi Jung-in, Kim Yang-nam, Yu Cheon and Kim Ju — were enshrined. These men refused to serve the king of the new Joseon dynasty and instead lived out their remaining years in reclusion, hidden from the world. The shrine was built in 1798 and named Samgwiseosa (三歸書祠); in 1804 its name was changed to Songsansa (松山祠). It was later demolished under Emperor Gojong's order for the abolition of seowon (書院撤廢; in 1871 all Confucian academies nationwide, including shrines, were abolished except for 47), after which an altar holding only the spirit tablets was set up on the old site of Songsansa and named Samgwidan (三歸壇). In 1995 an excavation survey was carried out for the restoration of Songsansa, which revealed that the shrine site faced north. This is thought to signify a determination not to forget Gaeseong, which had been the capital of Goryeo. The Songsansa building measures three kan (structural bays) across the front and two kan on the sides, with a gable roof that forms the shape of the Chinese character 人 (person) when viewed from the side. In front of the shrine stands a sotsammun, a three-bay gate in which the roof over the central bay is raised higher than the two flanking ones, and before this gate stands a hongsalmun, a red-painted spirit gate topped with arrow-like spikes.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물