Banam Seowon

About this place

Banam Seowon is a Confucian academy from the late Joseon period located in Wonjeon Village, Banseong-ri, Deokgok-myeon, Goryeong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Banam Seowon was originally a separate shrine for Jeongjong. At first, Jeong Gu was enshrined together with Baekchon Kim Mun-gi in Jeongchungsa in 1777, but in 1794 another figure was additionally enshrined at Jeongchungsa, so in September of that year the shrine was relocated here and named Banam Seowon. In 1868 (the 5th year of King Gojong), following the Regent Heungseon Daewongun's order to abolish the seowon, the academy was demolished. It was later renamed Banam Seodang, but as the building deteriorated it was expanded and rebuilt in 1994. The academy comprises the lecture hall Banam Seodang and, to the rear, the shrine Sedeoksa, forming a 'learning-in-front, shrine-behind' (jeonhak-humyo) layout. The shrine Sedeoksa is a building measuring 3 kan across the front and 2 kan on the side, with a gable roof. A half-kan porch bay is arranged at the front and used as a ritual space, and it shows the multi-bracket (dapo) style rare for a shrine. The central bay bears two intercolumnar bracket sets, while the left and right side bays each bear one. The lecture hall Sungdeokjae has a wooden floor in the central 2 of its 5 kan, with heated ondol rooms on either side. It is a wingless-bracket (muikgong) building of 3-purlin structure, but an intermediate pillar was placed to form a porch bay in front of the rooms.