Baekhyeon Seowon

About this place

Baekhyeonseowon was founded in 1668 (the 9th year of King Hyeonjong) to honor Gu Yeong and Im Yun-seong, civil officials of the mid-Joseon period, but it was demolished in 1868 (the 5th year of King Gojong) in accordance with Heungseon Daewongun's decree abolishing the Confucian academies. It was later rebuilt in 1903. Because the descendants of the Jinju Im clan took away Im Yun-seong's memorial tablet when Cheongokseowon was founded in Jong-ri, Hwasan-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, only Gu Yeong's tablet is now enshrined and honored. In 1961 Baekhyeonseowon was reconstructed with a government subsidy. Baekhyeonsa, the shrine, has a gable-roofed structure with three bays across the front and two bays on the side, while Jeongandang, the lecture hall, has a hip-and-gable roof with five bays across the front and two bays on the side. The Neungseong Gu clan holds a memorial rite at Baekhyeonseowon every year in the middle of the second lunar month.