Sujeongsa (Uiseong)

About this place

Sujeongsa is a temple in Sujeong-ri, Geumseong-myeon, Uiseong-gun, said to have been founded by the Great Master Uisang. It is said that Master Uisang named it 'Sujeongsa' (Crystal Temple) because crystal-clear water flowed down amid the dense pine forest in a deep valley of Mount Geumseong. It was completely destroyed during the Japanese invasions of 1592 and later rebuilt. In a fire in 1835, everything but the Daegwangjeon was lost. It was afterward reconstructed at its present site, above the old temple grounds. On the old temple grounds below the present Sujeongsa lies the site of a great monastery, where a stone pagoda is preserved in its original form. Over six years from 1965 onward, the monks' quarters, Wolyeongnu, the Gyeogoe Seonwon (meditation hall), a lotus pond, and retaining walls were built. The main buildings within the precinct include the Daegwangjeon, the temple's main hall; the Samyeong Yeongdang, which enshrines the portraits (jinyeong) of eminent monks of successive generations; the Gyeogoe Seonwon; the Wolyeongnu; and the Sallyeonggak.