Namyanghyanggyo Local Confucian School

A hyanggyo is a local public educational institution established during the Joseon period to perform memorial rites for the Chinese Spring and Autumn period scholar Confucius (551–479 BC) and various sages, and to educate local people. A hyanggyo is composed 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. Namyanghyanggyo was first built in 1397 at Myeonyeokgok-dong, Eumdeok-ri, Namyang-bu, and is said to have been relocated to its present site in 1873. At the time of relocation it reportedly had all of its buildings — the Daeseongjeon, the Dongmu and Seomu, the Myeongnyundang, the Dongjae and Seojae, the inner three-door gate (naesammun), the outer three-door gate (oesammun), the caretaker's quarters, and the hongsalmun (a red gate topped with spikes) — but the Dongmu, Seomu and Myeongnyundang were later lost, and only the Myeongnyundang has recently been restored. Namyanghyanggyo places the Myeongnyundang, the educational space, and the Dongjae and Seojae, the students' dormitories, at the front, with the Daeseongjeon, the space for memorial rites, at the rear. There are also the naesammun and oesammun, which serve as entrances, and the subokshil, the room where rites were prepared, along with the hongsalmun. The Daeseongjeon measures three bays across the front and three bays to the side, and has a matbae roof — a gabled roof shaped like the Chinese character 人 (person) when seen from the side. The Myeongnyundang measures seven bays across the front and two bays to the side, and is highly distinctive in plan, with wings attached on either side of the central building. During the Joseon period the state provided land, slaves and books so that students could be taught here, but today the educational function has disappeared and only the memorial rite function remains.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hwaseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료