Yonghwasa Temple (Gochang)

About this place

Yonghwasa is a temple of the Taego Order of Korean Buddhism, located on a gentle hill behind Yeonhwa Village in Daesan-myeon. Founded in 1950, it is a relatively recent modern temple, said to have been built following a dream in which a voice said, 'I am buried in the mountains — please move me here and build a temple.' Enshrined in Yonghwasa's Mireukjeon Hall is a standing Mireuk stone Buddha (Mireuk Yeorae Ipsan) designated as a Jeollabuk-do cultural heritage material, which serves as the principal object of worship. This Joseon-period statue follows the tradition of large-scale Goryeo-era Buddhist images: the face is large and the bodily features are not finely detailed. The Daeungjeon Hall, rebuilt in 2001, has three bays in front and two bays deep, and enshrines a seated Sakyamuni Buddha as the main figure, flanked by Seji and Gwaneum bodhisattvas, along with a seated Jijang bodhisattva.