The Daegu Hyanggyo () is a in

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

, South Korea. A is a state-sponsored academy where students studied to prepare for the ''

gwageo The () or ''kwagŏ'' were the national civil service examinations under the Goryeo (918–1392) and Joseon (1392–1897) periods of Korea. Typically quite demanding, these tests measured candidates' ability of writing composition and knowledge ...

'', the civil service examinations during the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

(918–1392) and

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

(1392–1910) periods. This was founded in 1398 during the reign of King

Taejo of Joseon Taejo (; 4 November 1335 – 27 June 1408), personal name Yi Seong-gye (), later Yi Dan (), was the founder and first monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. After overthrowing the Goryeo dynasty, he ascended to the throne in 1392 and abdi ...

History

The was founded in 1398 during the reign of King

. During the Second Japanese Invasion in 1592 it was completely burned down. In 1599 the

Hyanggyo was rebuilt near Dalseong Park but was relocated to the original 1398 site of Dalseong Park in 1605 and then back to the Gyodong area again. 1932 saw the again relocated to its present location in Namsandong, just south of downtown Daegu. In 1973 Hyanggyo at Daegu underwent a full restoration.

Buildings

There are two main buildings in the , Myeongyundang, the lecture hall and Daeseongjeon, the Confucian shrine hall. The original traditional layout of a has the Daeseongjeon located in front of Myeongnyundang as it was when first built. Today the layout finds the Daeseongjeon centered in the north, facing the wide courtyard, with the Myeongnyundang found to the right of Daeseongjeon when entering.

Memorial tablets

Daeseongjeon houses memorial tablets where every year in the 2nd and 8th

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

month a ritual called Seokjeon-daejae is conducted honoring

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

and famous Confucian scholars of Daegu.

Current use

Myeongnyundang now serves as a classroom where lectures and lesson on old Chinese characters and traditional Korean etiquette is taught. On weekends and holidays traditional Korean weddings are held at garden on the complex grounds. Daeseongjeon is designated as City of Daegu Local Cultural Material #1.

Gallery

File:Daegu Hyanggyo 2851-06.JPG, Daeseongjeon (shrine hall) City of Daegu Local Cultural Material #1 File:Daegu Hyanggyo 2852a-06.jpg, One of the auxiliary halls on the hyanggyo grounds File:Daegu Hyanggyo 2847-06.JPG, Statue of

on complex grounds File:Daegu Hyanggyo 2849-06.JPG, Classes in Myeongryeondang

References

{{coord missing, South Korea Hyanggyo Buildings and structures in Daegu Tourist attractions in Daegu