Cheonan Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo is a local educational institution founded by the state to hold memorial rites for Confucius and other sages and to educate and edify the local populace. The Cheonan Local Confucian School was first built in the seventh year of King Taejo (1398), but was burned down during the Japanese invasions of 1592–98. It appears to have been rebuilt in the 39th year of King Seonjo (1606). The buildings that survive today are Daeseongjeon, the shrine hall used for memorial rites, together with its flanking halls, Dongmu and Seomu; Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall used for education; Dongjae and Seojae, the east and west student dormitories; Jeonsago, the hall for storing ritual vessels; Sammun, the three-bay gate; and Punghwaru, a pavilion gate. Myeongnyundang was built in the seventh year of King Hyojong (1656) and measures four bays across the front and two bays deep. Daeseongjeon measures three bays across the front and two bays deep, and is roofed in the gable (matbae) style, whose triangular cross-section, seen from the side, resembles the Chinese character for "person" (人). Inside are enshrined the spirit tablets of Confucius, together with those of his disciples and of sages of China and Korea. During the Joseon period the school received land, slaves and books from the state to support the education of its students, but today its educational role has disappeared and only its function as a place of memorial rites remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheonan, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물