Sudeoksa (Yesan)

About this place

Sudeoksa is a temple located on the southern foot of Deoksungsan (495 m), a peak of the Charyeong mountain range that rises near Deoksan Hot Springs. It is so large that it serves as the head temple of the 7th diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, overseeing the Jogye Order temples of the Naepo region in Chungnam. Founded around the 6th century during the Baekje period, it is an ancient temple boasting a history of nearly 1,500 years and scenery so beautiful that it was chosen as the No. 1 scenic spot of Yesan-gun. According to its founding legend, a young man fell in love upon seeing a maiden, and the condition the maiden set for marriage was that he build a temple. After he built the temple and took the maiden's hand, she vanished, and it turned out that the maiden had been an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara (Gwanseeum Bosal). Sudeoksa, founded along with such a legend, has reached the present day after undergoing repeated repairs during the Goryeo Dynasty, the Joseon Dynasty, and the Japanese colonial period. Here, cultural properties from the Baekje period through the Joseon Dynasty remain in balance: not only the Daeungjeon, designated a National Treasure, and the Nosananbul Gwaebultaeng and the Lotus Sutra (Myobeop Yeonhwagyeong), designated Treasures, but also many cultural properties designated by Chungcheongnam-do, such as a three-story stone pagoda and a seven-story stone pagoda, are preserved. In addition, various Buddhist cultural properties are housed in the Geunyeok Seongbogwan, and within the temple grounds are also the thatched house where the painter Lee Ung-no (1904-1989) carried out his artistic activities, the Lee Ung-no Historic Site (Sudeok Inn), and the Seon Art Museum, which exhibits works by Lee Ung-no and modern and contemporary artists as well as Buddhist art. The temple stay operates a variety of programs tailored to demand and taste.