Seonguksa Temple (Namwon)

About this place

Seonguksa Temple is a branch temple of Geumsansa — the 17th district head temple of the Jogye Order — located inside Gyoryongsan Fortress, and is sometimes called the 'Fortress Temple' (sanseongjeol) because of its location inside the fortress walls. It was founded simultaneously with the establishment of Namwon Sogyeong (a local administrative center) in the 5th year of King Sinmun of Silla (685 CE). There was a spring called Yongcheon (Dragon Spring) here, so the temple was called Yongcheonsa. After the fortress walls of Gyoryongsan were built around the temple, it transformed into a national defense monastery (hoguk doyang) and its name changed to Seonguksa accordingly. The exact date of the name change is unclear, but temples with the character '국 (國)' in their names generally played a major role in protecting the nation, and Seonguksa too preserves a history of hardship in service of national defense. When the nation was in crisis, rice provisions from six county districts in the Honam region were stored at Gyoryongsan Fortress, with Seonguksa serving as the headquarters of the garrison defending the fortress. During the Donghak Peasant Movement of 1894, it also served as a hideout for the Donghak army. Existing buildings include the Daeungjeon (main hall), Chilseonggak, Boje-ru, Gwaneumseon, and residential quarters (yosa). The Daeungjeon is a three-bay front, two-bay side structure designated as a Jeollabuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage. Inside are an Amitabha Triad and Jijang Bodhisattva, along with several thangka paintings, a large drum, a bell, and two plaques.