Sinchanghyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo is a local educational institution established by the state to hold memorial rites for Confucius and other sages, and to educate and morally guide the local populace. Sinchanghyanggyo is said to have been built during the reign of King Sukjong of Joseon (r. 1674–1720), though no record confirms this, and it is generally considered to have first been built in 1872, the ninth year of King Gojong. The buildings that survive today are Daeseongjeon (the main shrine hall), Myeongnyundang (the lecture hall), the east and west dormitories (dongjae and seojae), and an inner three-gate (naesammun). Daeseongjeon is the hall used for memorial rites, with a floor plan of five bays across the front and three bays deep. Its roof is a gable roof (matbae roof), which forms the shape of the character 人 when viewed from the side. The bracket sets supporting the eaves are decorated in the ikgong style, carved in the form of a bird's wings. Inside, the spirit tablets of Confucius are enshrined at the centre, together with his disciples and sages of China and Korea. Myeongnyundang is the lecture hall where students gathered to study, with a floor plan of five bays across the front and two bays deep. Its roof is a hipped-and-gabled roof (paljak roof), which forms the shape of the character 八 when viewed from the side. During the Joseon dynasty the school received land, government slaves and books from the state to teach its students, but today its educational function has ceased and only its role as a place of memorial rites remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Asan, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물