Temple/Christianity : Gwangju Tourism

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Gwangju Tour shining with 5 bright attractions

[Temple/Christianity] Curtis Memorial Hall in Gwangju Old Speer Girls’ School Like 42 [Temple/Christianity] Curtis Memorial Hall in Gwangju Old Speer Girls’ School Built in 1925 The building was built in memorial of the pastor Eugene Bell (Rev. Eugene Bell, 1868~1... Built in 1925 The building was built in memorial of the pastor Eugene Bell (Rev. Eugene Bell, 1868~1925, Korean Name: Bae Yuji) who was a pioneer of Jeolla-do regional mission work and built Speer Girls’ School, and used as a chapel of the missionary and his family. The shape of flat surface is symmetrical from the center and harmoniously arranged with circled windows and pointed arch windows. The size is small, but it has decorative elements and excellent architecture technique. Like 42
[Temple/Christianity] Gwangju Buk-dong Catholic Church Like 70 [Temple/Christianity] Gwangju Buk-dong Catholic Church Buk-dong Catholic Church is the first Catholic Church in Gwangju. When Jeollanam-do became the dioce... Buk-dong Catholic Church is the first Catholic Church in Gwangju. When Jeollanam-do became the dioceses of Gwangju in 1937, Rev. Thomas Quinlan assigned the Chinese friend Ga Yosep to build it. It is the masonry construction with the gable roof. The plain is bilateral symmetry slender rectangle. The bell tower is in the front side and the rectangular apse is on the back. It has general form of a catholic church. In 1987, however, the space between the altar on the left and vestry was pulled down and the scheelite is expanded so it currently has the ‘ㄱ’ shape. There are two circular columns in the place between the entrance and the scheelite. The scheelite doesn’t have the boundary between the nave and aisle but the tabernacle and the altar are separated by lumber. On the left are the room for suggestion and confession. The second floor is used as the choir composed of balcony on the narthex. Wall and round ceiling comparted with brown wood were finished with white plaster without any decoration. The wall finished with header bond and length bond together has the compartment with the unit of 3 meter buttress and all doors and windows’ lintel, and circled windows has the arch of circle or semi-circle of granite. The main entry is the recessed arch of four level and the finish of eaves used molding. Like 70
[Temple/Christianity] Gwangju Yaksaam Like 37 [Temple/Christianity] Gwangju Yaksaam Yaksaam (small Buddhist temple), which became a part of nature by itself without being separated fro... Yaksaam (small Buddhist temple), which became a part of nature by itself without being separated from nature! People can feel comfort after appreciating the features of Yaksaam and the Peak that have been embracing each other for a long time. Yaksaam gives people Buddha's teaching for life: 'Get along with each other'. Yaksaam is located in Ullimdong, Dong-gu (East district), Gwangju Metropolitan City. It is a quiet and beautiful hermitage for monks, like a star hidden in Mudeung Mountain. Going up about 600m, Iljumun (the first gate), standing as if it were about to fly away, and a small temple located at the left side of Yaksa valley comes into sight. This is Yaksaam temple. The original name of Yaksaam was Inwangsa temple, which was a temple built to establish Jeungsimsa temple by Cheolgamguksa Do Yun (a national priest) in the later part of the Silla dynasty period. Thousand years have passed since this hermitage was built. The sanctuary enshrines a Seated Stone Buddha statue in the later part of the Silla dynasty. Yaksabul Buddha, which means the relief for the sick Buddhists, is the most necessary Buddha to the Buddhists. How long has the Buddha with an especially wide knee, sitting a lotus flower patterned pedestal, heard the Buddhists' prayers? For over a thousand years? The Buddha's lip with furtive smile seems to convey the thought that Yaksaam has an advanced compassion and understanding of mankind with much feeling. He looks at us carrying our heavy burdens like drenched cotton for such a long time. His smile eases the pain of exhausted people carrying the heavy burdens. This is the mystery of Yaksabul Buddha. When we experience his smile, at once our face reflects the Yaksabul Buddha's smile. In Yaksaam, the main temple as a Paljak-style roof with Korean traditional-style tiles of three sections on the front and two sections on the side. In addition there is a temple dormitory which is a pointed beam house in an L shape with five rooms on the left and six rooms at the front. The back of the main temple is Woonrimdang, with three rooms at the front and one room on the side with a traditional Korean tiled roof in the shape of a Chinese character “八” (meaning eight). On a moonlit night, people can appreciate the best view of Yaksaam. The fascinating scene results in deep realization, since it is easy to return to old times. Saeinbong Peak, seen from the front, is as lively as it was in the past, when the full moon came up like a green polished well in the sky. Even if you look at the scene for only a short time, worldly things will disappear like dust and the complications of the mind will melt away. Buddhism makes people partners of heaven without separating them from nature and their heart. This may be the reason Yaksaam was made. Only visible medicine isn't curable. The true role of Yaksaam may be an instruction to take the Buddhist ways with a calm mind. If people go up to Yaksaam on their way to Jeungsimsa temple when they are stressed, the place which has gone through numerous discords and was built a thousand years ago, will cure their condition. Like 37
[Temple/Christianity] Jeungsimsa Temple Like 270 [Temple/Christianity] Jeungsimsa Temple Jeungsimsa Temple, the representative Buddhist temple in the Gwangju region, is located on the weste... Jeungsimsa Temple, the representative Buddhist temple in the Gwangju region, is located on the western foot of Mudeungsan Mountain. The temple was founded by Master Cheolgam in 860 (the 4th year of the reign of King Heonin of the Silla Dynasty) and reconstructed by the National Preceptor Hyeso in 1094 under the reign of King Seonjong of the Goryeo Dynasty. When it was rebuilt by Kim Bang in 1443 under the rule of King Sejong of the Joseon Dynasty, 500 arhat images were created. The temple burned down during the Second Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1597 but rebuilt during the reign of Prince Gwanghae. The stronghold of the Korean movement of the Linji School (part of Zen Buddhism) opposing Japanese Buddhism during the Japanese Occupation was none other than Jeungsimsa Temple. Most buildings were again burned during the Korean War in the 1950s but, through active restoration projects after the 1970s, Jijangjeon Hall and Birojeonjeokmukdang Hall were newly built. Fortunately, the Joseon Dynasty-era Obaekjeon Hall survived. Despite its original form being lost during the Korean War, Jeungsimsa Temple is emblamatic of all temples in the Gwangju region due to its pivotal position in Korean history and its location near scenic Mudeungsan Mountain. On the temple ground, Obaekjeon Hall, the Three-story Stone Pagoda, Five-story Stone Pagoda, Seven-story Stone Pagoda, Five-hundred Arhats, Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha (Treasure No. 131), and Stone Standing Bodhisattvas have been conserved. Like 270
[Temple/Christianity] Mission Monument Like 9 [Temple/Christianity] Mission Monument Yangnim-dong Mission Monument was established to commemorate the place where Reverend Bell, a missio... Yangnim-dong Mission Monument was established to commemorate the place where Reverend Bell, a missionary sent by the Presbyterian Church in the United States, first held a worship service in Gwangju. It was erected by the Jeonnam Presbyterian Church of the Presbyterian Church in Korea on December 6, 1982 and there is a sunken relief on a natural granite stone. It is 175 cm tall, 85 cm wide, and 50 cm thick, and it is erected on a granite base. There are inscriptions in both Korean and English. The Owen Memorial Hall is located in the College of Nursing at Kwangju Christian Hospital and is currently being used as an auditorium. The building was erected in 1914 to honor Eugene Bell as well as Clement C. Owen (1867-1909; Korean name Oh Won or Oh Gi-won), who was the first missionary in Jeollanam-do Province, and his grandfather William Owen. Like 9
[Temple/Christianity] Missionary Wilson’s House Like 50 [Temple/Christianity] Missionary Wilson’s House This is a two story building of gray bricks with the tiles of the Korean style steep roof tilting up... This is a two story building of gray bricks with the tiles of the Korean style steep roof tilting upward at the end that was built toward the east at the foot of Yangnim mountain in Yangnim-dong, Gwangju Metropolitan City. It is said that this building was built by an American missionary Wilson in 1920, but we can not know the exact built-year. The house is estimated as the oldest Western style house in Gwangju. In the time of enlightenment, when Western missionaries arrived in Gwangju passing through Mokpo and Naju, they were easy to settle in the foot of Yangnim mountain crossing Gwangju stream, outside of Gwangjueup castle. Accordingly, since then, citizens called Yangnim-dong ‘Western village’. This building is one of the important data in the modern building history of the time of enlightenment. The plane is square structure, and there are living room, family room, multi-purpose room, kitchen, bathroom in the 1st floor and bed rooms as private space in the 2nd floor, but currently the usage is changed, so the 1st floor is not used but one room of working place and bed room at the same time. The 2nd floor has bed room, bathroom, kitchen, and multi-purpose room, and the underground floor has storage and boiler room. The entrance was toward the east, which is presumed to have taken the bearing preferred in Gwangju area. The size of front and side is 10.6m and gross area is 350㎡. The structure is built with gray brisk(225㎜×110㎜×55㎜) and Holland style. The inside is plastered and the ground sill is made with granite. The underground is made with the stack of decorated brisk with crossed hole for the ventilation and enlightenment of the underground. Opening is arch style of semi-circle, and window sill is stacked with brisk butt end erecting. The window is double window, whose outside is opening and closing window, and whose inside is ascending and descending structure. The first floor and the second floor is distinguished by a string course, but the distinction of basement is omitted. The top parts of 2 pillars in the front gate are decorated with capitals of six eighth inside stacking on the 1st and 2nd floor respectively Like 50

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