Amposeowon

About this place

Amposeowon originally began as a seodang that combined a shrine for the ancestral rites of forebears with education, but in the 2nd year of King Seonjo (1569), in accordance with the system of the national academy, it enshrined former worthies and educated Confucian students, and - together with the reconstruction of its buildings - changed its name to a seowon. On the 20th day of the third lunar month of 1871 (the 8th year of King Gojong), when the decree abolishing the seowon consolidated them nationwide, leaving only 47 royally chartered (saaek) seowon, it was demolished. On May 29, 1960, it was restored as a hanok of 4 bays across the front and 2 bays on the side; as the restored building fell into decay, it was decided that the shrine would be kept in place to preserve its cultural-heritage value. The other buildings were relocated and rebuilt within the grounds, and on May 13, 2007, a completion-dedication ceremony was held under the direction of the Confucian scholars of Seongju Hyanggyo and representatives of each clan. In its spatial composition, the buildings were arranged with the shrine placed to the right of the seowon in keeping with feng-shui topography and terrain; the site comprises the seowon, the shrine, a solitary sacred tree (danmok), a pavilion (danjeong), and other features.