Wontongsa Temple Site

This is the old site of Wontongsa Temple, on the southern foot of Deogyusan Mountain. According to the reconstruction stele inscription of Wontongsa, the temple was built during the Silla period; although the exact scale of the temple at the time of its construction is not precisely known, records indicate that it had buildings such as a main hall, a bell pavilion and a multi-storey pavilion. In the 24th year of King Sukjong of Joseon (1698), the Seon masters Tan-eon, Doyeong and Hyeo-ok rebuilt the hall and bell pavilion, cast a bronze bell and repaired the Buddhist statue, but all of this was burned down in the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident of 1949. Afterwards, in 1976, the monk Bae Jae-yeol took up the post of abbot and drew up a restoration plan; three years after Hwang Gwang-seok, chairman of Sambo Beopin, began the restoration with his own personal funds, the Daeungjeon Hall, Seonchodang Hall and Choyeongyo were newly rebuilt in 1985, restoring the old appearance of Wontongsa. Wontongsa is a place of profound significance for the defence of the nation: after the Eulsa Treaty was forcibly concluded by Japan in the 9th year of Gwangmu (1905), it served as a base for the righteous army volunteers who resisted Japanese forces in the anti-Japanese struggle.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Muju, Jeonbuk

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물