Heungcheonsa Temple

In Donam-dong, Seongbuk District, a royal temple sits on the slopes of Bugaksan between high-rise apartment blocks. Heungcheonsa was founded by King Taejo, the first ruler of the Joseon dynasty, to pray for the soul of his queen, Queen Sindeok, who died before him. Over more than 600 years it has moved several times, and today it preserves 19th-century halls built with royal support and a rare forty-two-armed Avalokiteshvara, giving it more stories than most temples in central Seoul.

History: a temple for a queen, moved three times

When Queen Sindeok died in 1396, Taejo built her tomb, Jeongneung, in today's Jeong-dong near Gyeongbokgung Palace and founded Heungcheonsa beside it; sources give the founding year as 1396 or 1397. It was a large complex of about 170 kan (bays), and it is said that Taejo would not lift his spoon until he heard the temple bell.

After Taejo's death his son King Taejong, who had clashed with his stepmother, moved her tomb outside the city walls. Heungcheonsa was still used for royal ceremonies and to host foreign envoys, but in 1504, under King Yeonsangun, a fire destroyed most of it. In 1569 it was rebuilt elsewhere under the name Sinheungsa, and in 1794 it moved to its present site near the relocated Jeongneung tomb. In 1865 the regent Heungseon Daewongun sponsored a new main residence hall (Daebang) and a full restoration, and the temple took back the name Heungcheonsa.

What to see

• Geungnakbojeon: the main hall, dedicated to Amitabha Buddha, rebuilt in 1853. Elaborate brackets sit both on and between the columns under a hipped-and-gabled roof; as one of the few 19th-century temple halls in Seoul, it is a city-designated heritage building.
• Myeongbujeon: built in 1855 for Ksitigarbha and the Ten Kings of the underworld. Its plain gabled roof makes an interesting contrast with the main hall.
• Daebang: a hybrid hall from the modern era combining a space for chanting with a pavilion, monks' rooms and a kitchen under one roof; it is a Registered Cultural Heritage. Inside is a wooden Avalokiteshvara triad of 1701 (Treasure), an unusual grouping of the bodhisattva with the boy pilgrim Sudhana and the Dragon King of the Sea.
• Gilt-bronze Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara (Treasure): a forty-two-armed figure made sometime between Goryeo and early Joseon, one of very few such statues surviving in Korea.
• Vairocana triple-body hanging scroll (Treasure): a huge banner painting made in 1832 by 17 monk painters to pray for the long life of King Sunjo and the royal family. It is only hung outside for major ceremonies.

Where is the temple bell?

The Heungcheonsa bronze bell (Treasure), cast for the royal family in 1462, is considered a benchmark for early Joseon bells. It went its own way while the temple moved and is now kept at Gyeongbokgung Palace, not at Heungcheonsa. If you visit both, you can see the bell and the halls of the same royal temple on one day.

Tripto tips

• Access: the temple grounds are free to visit. Please don't take photos inside halls during services.
• Time needed: about 40 minutes for the grounds; allow 2 hours or more if you continue up the forest path to Jeokjosa and the Bugak skyway trail.
• Getting there: from Jeongneung Station on the Ui–Sinseol Line, walk about 1 km towards Jeongneung. The address is 29 Heungcheonsa-gil, Seongbuk-gu.
• Combine with: Jeongneung, Queen Sindeok's tomb, is within walking distance. The forest path behind the temple leads past the small temple of Jeokjosa to the walking trail alongside the Bugak Skyway.
• Best time: around Buddha's Birthday the courtyard fills with lanterns, and after snowfall the tiled roofs and painted eaves stand out sharply.