Hwangnyeongsa Temple (Sangju)

About this place

Hwangnyeongsa, a temple affiliated with Jikjisa (the main temple of the 8th district of the Jogye Order), is located on the slopes of Chilbongsan. Its founding and history are unknown; it is said to have been founded in 638 (the 7th year of Queen Seondeok) by Uisang and restored in 889 (the 3rd year of Queen Jinseong) by the monk Daegu. During the Goryeo period, when the Mongol general Jaradae attacked Sangju fortress (Baekhwasanseong) in 1254 (the 41st year of King Gojong), the monk Hongji of Hwangnyeongsa led civilian and military forces to kill the enemy's fourth commander and cause over half their army casualties, forcing the enemy to lift the siege — an account found in the Samguksagi. The Imjin War of 1592 saw it serve as the origin point of the righteous army (uibyeong) that rose up centered on Hamchang. The main hall (Daeungjeon), the Hall of a Thousand Buddhas (Cheonbuljeon), the Nahanmission Hall (Nahanjeon), and the Singeumdang were all burned during the Imjin War, and then the current Singeumdang was rebuilt in 1966. The Hwangnyeongsa Amitabha Rear Painting and Sinchung Painting, North Gyeongsang Province Cultural Heritage items, are currently kept at the Jikjisa Seongbo Museum. These paintings are valuable materials for researching the influence of the 18th-century Gyeonggi painting school (Sanggyeompa) on the North Gyeongsang region.