Ogyeseowon

About this place

Ogyeseowon is the successor to the 'Ogye Jeongsa,' which Yi Deok-hong built in 1570 (the 3rd year of King Seonjo) for the pursuit of learning and the cultivation of body and mind. It was destroyed by fire in the Imjin War of 1592 (the 25th year of Seonjo), but in 1595 (the 28th year of Seonjo) it was relocated to the Ssanggye hill; it was then swept away by a flood in 1636 (the 14th year of King Injo), among several relocations and reconstructions. By the public deliberation of the Confucian community, the Dojonsa shrine was erected on October 2, 1665 (the 6th year of King Hyeonjong) and the spirit tablet of Yi Deok-hong was enshrined; in 1691 (the 17th year of King Sukjong) it was elevated to Ogyeseowon. When the great floods of 1699 and 1707 altered the course of the waters and the academy suffered flood damage, it was relocated to its present site in 1711 (the 37th year of King Sukjong), and in 1724 (the 4th year of King Gyeongjong) his eldest son, Yi Si, was enshrined alongside him. Demolished in 1871 (the 8th year of King Gojong), it was restored and its enshrinement reinstated in 1919, and the Dojonsa was rebuilt in 1978.