Bonghwa Samgye Seowon

About this place

Samgye Seowon, situated on the right side at the entrance that leads up to Daksil Village, is said to have been built in 1588 (the 21st year of King Seonjo) by Kim U-ong, then the magistrate of Andong, to commemorate the scholarship and virtuous conduct of Chungjae Gwon Beol (1478–1548), a distinguished official of the reign of King Jungjong of Joseon. Gwon Beol became a jinsa (licentiate) in 1496 (the 2nd year of Yeonsangun) and passed the higher civil service examination in 1507 (the 2nd year of King Jungjong), holding various offices. In 1547 (the 2nd year of King Myeongjong), he was implicated in the Yangjaeyeok wall-poster incident and exiled to Sakju in Pyeongan-do, where he died the following year. In 1601 (the 31st year of King Seonjo), Jeong Gu (Hangang) named the shrine Chungjeonggongsa, the hall Jeongildang, the east chamber Samusa, the west chamber Mulbulgyeong, the main gate Hwanseongmun, and the gate pavilion Gwanmullu. In 1660 (the 1st year of King Hyeonjong), it received a royal charter as Samgye Seowon. Following the 1868 (the 5th year of King Gojong) edict abolishing seowon, Chungjeonggongsa, Hwanseongmun, and Gwanmullu were demolished, and it was restored in 1951. The academy follows the jeonhak-humyo layout, with the space for study placed in front and the shrine for ancestral rites at the rear. Entry to the academy is through Hwanseongmun, set beneath the multi-story Gwanmullu at the front; upon passing through the gate, the lecture hall stands ahead, with the east and west chambers to the left and right in front. Turning to the right of the lecture hall, one finds the ritual shrine (Chungjeonggongsa), a space partitioned by an earthen wall; to the left of the west chamber stands a caretaker's house with a gate quarters. To the front right of the east chamber stand a sindobi (monument stele) and stele pavilion, said to have been erected by the Confucian community in 1906, and a caretaker's house lies to the left of the academy. Bonghwa Samgye Seowon possesses a well-ordered jeonhak-humyo layout, and its spatial hierarchy is notable. Although Gwanmullu and the shrine are restored buildings that do not retain their original appearance, the east and west chambers preserve, at least in part, their original form. It is also regarded as a valuable resource when considered together with the location of Samgye Seowon in connection with Daksil Village and the biographical significance of Master Chungjae.