Yongdam Hyanggyo

About this place

Yongdam Hyanggyo is situated on the slope of the southern foot of Mount Yonggangsan. Due to the construction of the Yongdam Dam, it was relocated and completed at its present site on December 25, 1998. Yongdam Hyanggyo was established in the early Goryeo period and rebuilt in 1391 (the 3rd year of King Gongyang) by the county magistrate Choe Ja-bi. It was then burned down during the Imjin War in 1592 (the 25th year of King Seonjo of Joseon), and the following year Bak Ji-sul moved the remaining buildings slightly eastward and rebuilt them; in 1633 (the 11th year of King Injo), the county magistrate Oh Jeon rebuilt it on its former site. Later, in 1664 (the 5th year of King Hyeonjong), the magistrate Hong Seok reconstructed it. The buildings were maintained even during the Japanese colonial period, but as they grew dilapidated and collapsed in 1950, they were repaired through the efforts of Bak Byeong-sik, and in 1974 the roof tiles of Daeseongjeon were replaced and the Dongjae and Seojae were repaired. The Daeseongjeon of Yongdam Hyanggyo is designated as a cultural heritage material of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province. Daeseongjeon is where memorial rites are held for Confucius and various sages; it measures 3 bays across the front and 3 bays on the side, with the left portion partitioned into 2 bays. The roof is a matbae (gabled) roof shaped like the Chinese character for 'person' (人) when viewed from the side. The brackets (gongpo), decoratively made to support the roof eaves, are of the multi-bracket (dapo) style, placed both atop the columns and between them.