Gimpo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo is a local public educational institution established in the provinces during the Joseon dynasty, where memorial rites were held for Confucius, the scholar of China's Spring and Autumn period, and for various sages, and where local people were educated. A hyanggyo is made up of the Daeseongjeon, which enshrines Confucius; the Dongmu and Seomu, which enshrine former sages; the Myeongnyundang, the lecture hall where students studied; and the Dongjae and Seojae, the dormitories where they lodged. Gimpo Hyanggyo is said to have first been built in 1127, though this is not certain. It originally stood on the hillside where Gimpo Girls' Comprehensive High School now stands, but when a royal tomb was established there it was moved to Geolpo-ri in Gimpo-eup, and later moved again to its present location. The buildings have since been repaired several times from the 1960s onward to take their present form. The buildings are arranged with the educational space, the Myeongnyundang and the east and west dormitories, at the front, and the ritual space, the Daeseongjeon and the Dongmu and Seomu, at the rear. There are also a jaesil, a ritual preparation hall, and outer and inner three-bay gates serving as entrances. The Daeseongjeon measures three bays across the front and three bays along the side, with a gable (matbae) roof shaped like the character 人 (person) when viewed from the side. The Myeongnyundang measures five bays across the front and two bays along the side; unlike the Daeseongjeon, its roof is a hip-and-gable (paljak) roof shaped like the character 八 (eight) when viewed from the side. Inside the Myeongnyundang, rather than the usual arrangement of a room at each end, the entire interior at Gimpo Hyanggyo is laid out as a single open bay. The school shows well the form of a small-scale hyanggyo of the late Joseon period, equipped with only the Daeseongjeon and Myeongnyundang.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gimpo, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료