Uiseong Gounsa Yeonsujeon Elevated to Treasure Status

"Equipped with Formality, Techniques, and Decorations Suitable for Royal Architecture"

Uiseong Gounsa Yeonsujeon

The Yeonsujeon Hall of Uiseong Gounsa Temple, said to have been founded by the Silla monk Uisang, has been elevated to the status of a treasure. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 31st that this structure has been designated as Treasure No. 2078. Yeonsujeon is the main hall of the Giroso (耆老所) within the temple. Giroso was an institution established to honor civil officials of the second rank or higher who were over seventy years old. In the case of the king, he would enter the Giroso after turning sixty. Four kings visited the Giroso during the Joseon Dynasty: Taejo, Sukjong, Yeongjo, and Gojong.

The Yeonsujeon Hall at Gounsa was built in 1904 to commemorate King Gojong's entry into the Giroso in 1902. It was constructed following the precedent of Bongakgak, the Giroso of King Yeongjo, which was also located at Gounsa. The building features Mansemun, a main gate in the form of a soaring three-portal gate, and is distinctly separated from other areas within the temple by walls on all sides. The main hall is built on three tiers of stone foundations. It is a single-story paljakjip (a roof style with triangular hip ends on both sides) with three bays at the front and three bays on the side, forming a nearly square floor plan. The central bay serves as the royal document (Eocheop, 御帖) enshrinement room, where the king’s admission documents to the Giroso are kept, and a corridor (toeggan) surrounds it. The bracket system supporting the eaves at the column heads is of the ikgong type, designed to bear the weight at the edge of the eaves. The carved decorative members are layered in two tiers. Between the columns of the central bay, single-tiered ikgong brackets are also arranged.

Uiseong Gounsa Yeonsujeon

The dancheong (traditional multicolored decorative painting) and murals exhibit high-quality geumdancheong (gold dancheong painted with various colorful patterns). Particularly, the ceiling is adorned with polychrome murals depicting a variety of themes not seen elsewhere, including dragons and phoenixes, the sun and moon, cranes and unicorns (ilgaksu, 一角獸), pine trees and lingzhi mushrooms, lotus flowers, and clouds. An official stated, “Although small in scale, it possesses the formality, techniques, and decorations befitting a royal architectural structure,” and added, “It is regarded as a valuable example in terms of function and architectural style.” They also noted, “It holds historical value due to the abundance of motifs symbolizing the Korean Empire’s royal family,” and promised, “We will cooperate with Uiseong County and others to ensure systematic preservation and utilization.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.