Hayang Hyanggyo (Confucian School)

About this place

Hayang Hyanggyo, designated a Cultural Heritage Material of Gyeongsangbuk-do in 1985, has no exact founding date recorded. However, judging from records such as that Heo Jo, who served as a chief state councillor in early Joseon, hailed from here and that there was a hyanggyo three ri to the west of the county seat, it is presumed to have been built in the late Goryeo or early Joseon period. As the county of Hayang declined during the Japanese invasions of 1592 (Imjin War), the hyanggyo fell into ruin, and it appears to have been newly rebuilt in 1608. Thereafter it underwent several further reconstructions, including the rebuilding of the Myeongnyundang and repairs to the shrine and lecture halls. Hayang Hyanggyo has the typical "school-in-front, shrine-behind" (jeonhak-humyo) structure, with the outer three-bay gate, the Myeongnyundang, the inner three-bay gate, and the Daeseongjeon arranged in a straight line from the entrance. Within the precinct remain the Jeonsacheong, an implements storehouse, and a caretaker's quarters. Rites are held on the first jeong day of the second and eighth lunar months each year. In addition, it regularly holds a giroyeon banquet honoring the local Confucian scholars and elders of the Hayang area, and it seeks to inherit and develop traditional culture through such activities as character education for local middle school students.