And Memorial Stele of Chehwadangsa Temple, Cheongju

This is a shrine and memorial stele enshrining the spirit tablets of four brothers of the Gyoha No clan — No Gye-won, No Jun-won, No Jong-won and No Il-won — scholars who lived in the mid-Joseon period during the reign of King Seonjo. According to the Jeungbo Munheon Bigo (the revised and enlarged Munheon Bigo), Ryu Seong-ryong, pen name Seoae, on his way back to the capital from a journey to Yeongnam, called on the four brothers and was so struck by their extraordinary brotherly affection and utmost filial devotion that he reported it to King Seonjo. The king was moved to write the characters 棣華堂 (Chehwadang) in his own hand and had them hung in the brothers' house. The house was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasions of 1592–1598. In 1701 (the 27th year of King Sukjong) the descendants built a shrine at Gasan-ri, Namil-myeon, and named it Chehwadangsa; in 1719 (the 45th year of King Sukjong) a memorial stele was erected beside it. The shrine was repaired in 1813 (the 13th year of King Sunjo) and again in 1850 (the 1st year of King Cheoljong), but was abolished in 1871 (the 8th year of Emperor Gojong). In 1967 the descendants rebuilt the shrine on its present site and moved the memorial stele there as well. Chehwadangsa is a building three bays wide and one-and-a-half bays deep, with a hipped-and-gabled roof and double eaves. The front half-bay forms an outer chamber (oejin), above which a retracted beam (toebo) is set, the ceiling finished in the exposed-rafter (yeondeungcheonjang) style. Octagonally dressed foundation stones are set on a two-tiered high platform, topped with round columns. The bracket sets are in the iikgong style, and the roof frame follows the igojuoryanga form, using two interior columns and five purlins. The memorial stele standing in front of the shrine was erected in 1719; the inscription was composed by Yi U-gyeom and written by Seong Yeong. The stele body rests on a square base and is capped with a coverstone carved with a cloud motif. Although the shrine building itself is not old, the memorial stele has value as an educational resource, reminding people today of the importance of filial piety and brotherly devotion.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheongju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물