Hwaeom Lecture Hall of Bongjeongsa Temple, Andong

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.448

Category

Architecture

Era

조선시대 중기

Designated year

1967

Location

안동시, 경상북도— 경북 안동시 서후면 봉정사길 222 (태장리)

Coordinates

36.653330, 128.662546

According to a sangnyangmun (message concerning a ridge beam raising ceremony) of Geungnakjeon Hall, Bongjeongsa Temple appears to have been built by Great Monk Neungin in the late 7th century while legend has it that the temple was built in 672. Hwaeomgangdang Lecture Hall is the place where monks receive the basic Buddhist doctrine Going by the records on the repair of the temple (Yangbeopdangjungsugi), it is presumed that the lecture hall underwent repairs at the same time as Geungnakjeon Hall (hall of Paradise) and Daeungjeon Hall (the main sanctuary of the temple) in the 17th century. The lecture hall measures three kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns) at the front and two kan at the sides, and has a gable roof resembling the character 人 when viewed from the side. The eaves of the roof are supported by a system of brackets placed on the pillars. In particular, the hall was built in a compromised style by mixing elements from various construction styles, and features a simpler style of decoration than the temple’s Daeungjeon Hall. As the building served as a lecture hall, the pillars are low but the brackets are large, so it has a well-balanced appearance. Two kan of the hall is used for a room and one kan is for a kitchen; and there is a cupboard between the kitchen and the room. On the whole, the hall is a stable and well-balanced building and is regarded as an important cultural resource for studies on the history of Korean traditional architecture. *Bongjeongsa Temple is known to have been built by Buddhist Master Uisang in 682 (the second year of the reign of King Sinmun of the Silla Dynasty). According to a legend, Master Uisang, the founder of Buseoksa Temple, made a phoenix from paper and released it into the sky, and built a temple, which he named Bongjeongsa, at the place where the paper phoenix landed.

Location