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Jongmyo |
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much of traditional Asian culture, including
China and Korea, rite has been highly important,
and in modern society preserving rite carries
with it the meaning of maintaining basic social
order. There are a number of rituals which
are considered important forms of rite, and
the most significant for these in Korea are
the Jongmyo and the Sajik rituals.Jongmyo
is the term used for a place where memorial
services are performed for deceased kings,
and Sajik is the term for a place where services
for the Gods of Earth and Crops are performed.
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There rituals are symbols for nations themselves in that
they guarantee order and successful
ruling of the nation. Consequently, due to the importance
of these rituals, the Jongmyo and
Sajik shrines where the rituals are performed are classic
in their architectural grace, detail
and beauty |
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Although
such facilities existed in Korea as early as the
Three Kingdoms Period, those that remain today in
Seoul are from the Joseon Dynasty(1392-1910).
The first Jongmyo of the dynasty was erected in
Seoul in 1395, and the main hall, Jeongjeon, contained
7 rooms, One room was used for the memorial tablets
of one king and his queen.
The 4th king of the dynasty, King Sejong, had an
additional hall, the Yeongnyeongjeon ( "Hall
of Eternal comfort" ), built beside the main
hall to house all of the tablets which could not
be housed in the main hall. |
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With successive reigns and an increasingly large number
of memorial tablets, however , additions
had to be made to the facilities. |
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at Haeinsa
Temple
