Intro
Jongmyo Shrine is a historical and royal shrine in Seoul, South Korea. Where royal ancestor rites were performed during the Joseon Dynasty. This stunning temple is surrounded by calm gardens and boasts elegant pavilions, a temple, and a variety of stone constructions. Jongmyo is an important cultural heritage site where you can learn about Korean history and culture. Every year, great and small ancestor rites and festivities are organized to showcase the beauty of tradition. This is a location where you can experience the ambiance of Korea. And it creates a lasting effect on visitors due to its historical significance. Jongmyo Shrine is a unique destination. You may see Korea’s wonderful history and art among elegant buildings and a mysterious atmosphere.
Historical Facts
It is located at 1-2 Hunjeong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Shrine of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty. This building enshrines the memorial tablets of past kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty and the revered kings and queens. It is a Confucian shrine of the imperial family. The area is 186,786 ㎡. It was designated as a historic site on January 18, 1963. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
The buildings were divided into Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon. In Jeongjeon, the memorial tablets of the kings and their queens who were officially crowned were enshrined in order of rank. And in Yeongnyeongjeon, the parents of the deceased kings and reinstated kings were enshrined.
The ancestral rites day at Jongmyo Shrine is set in the first month of the four seasons. On this day, the king, along with his officials, serves as Aheon-gwan (which means supreme priest in Korean). And they perform complex procedures to perform the ancestral rites.
As the Jongmyo Ceremony is a national event, the rituals, clothing, standards of rituals, type and number of offerings, etc. are strictly regulated and observed.
In recognition of the value of Jongmyo’s buildings and 600 years of ritual events, it was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 1995. For the Jongmyo Jeryeak, the music played along with dance during Jongmyo Jerye and ancestral rites. It was designated a UNESCO Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001. It was registered as a masterpiece. The Jongmyo Jerye is held every year on the first Sunday of May by the Jeonju Lee clan (the royal family of Joseon) along with a family procession.
The main buildings that currently make up Jongmyo are Jongmyo’s Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon. At the time when King Taejo built Jongmyo, Jongmyo’s Jeongjeon was the only building. Yeongnyeongjeon is a separate tomb that houses the remains of kings and queens who are not enshrined in the main shrine. It was first built during the reign of King Sejong.
At the time of construction, the main hall of Jongmyo had five rooms. However, in 1419, King Sejong came to the throne. King Jeongjong passed away and it was time to enshrine his statue in Jongmyo,.The 5th hall of the main hall of Jongmyo was filled with five statues of King Taejo and his four great ancestors. The question of how to serve the shrine is raised. This was because the etiquette stipulated that only five statues should be enshrined in Jongmyo, so if a new statue of King Jeongjong was enshrined in Jongmyo. he wooden statue would not be able to be enshrined in the main hall.
At this time, after repeated discussions, it was decided to follow the example of the Song Dynasty in China and build a separate shrine outside the Jongmyo Shrine, west of the current main shrine, in October 1421 to move the wooden shrine. This byeolmyo is now Yeongnyeongjeon.
As mentioned earlier, it was originally planned to enshrine five deities in the main shrine of Jongmyo Shrine. But later, a system called Bulcheonwi was created in which deities other than the five deities were not moved to Yeongnyeongjeon, and the number of deities enshrined in the main shrine of Jongmyo increased to more than five. As the number of deities to be worshiped increased, a situation arose where the number of compartments had to be increased. As a result, the Jongmyo Shrine building was expanded. Among the kings of the early Joseon Dynasty, the kings decided by Bulcheonwi include Taejong, Sejong, Sejo, and Seongjong.
Aesthetic Value of Jongmyo Shrine
Since this piece of art is a space for ancestral rites, the architecture is not flashy but extremely simple and restrained. The myojeong platform and the building on the stylobate thoroughly expressed the architectural intention in Jongmyo Shrine. With a boldly omitted form and simple composition, such as lines marking the shrine, a few plates, and an architectural structure without decoration. Roof made of Dancheong was also extremely sophisticated. It was understated. The composition and structure containing only the necessary spaces such as the shrine, woldae, stylobate, and wall, and the simplicity of decoration and color show the symbolism of Jongmyo’s architecture.
Jongmyo receives less public attention than other palaces. It is often mentioned by architectural authorities as a representative Korean building that must be visited. Representatively, Seiichi Shirai, a master of modern Japanese architecture, highly evaluated the value of Jongmyo Shrine. Saying, “What the Parthenon is to the West, there is Jongmyo Shrine to the East.” Frank Gehry was greatly impressed by Jongmyo Shrine and called it “one of the greatest buildings in the world.” “And Korean people should be grateful that a building like this exists.” He said that when he came to Korea for the first time in 15 years, he visited Jongmyo again with his family and said, “It is difficult to find such a majestic space anywhere in the world. “If I had to say it, it would be like the Parthenon?” he said.
In addition, figures who are essential in the history of architecture. Such as Rem Koolhaas, Jean Nouvel, and Zaha Hadid, who had already worked in Korea, visited there at least once, and Helen Binet, considered the best architectural photographer. Took only photos of Jongmyo Shrine, Byeongsan Seowon, and Soswaewon and published them in a book. They are published and are treated more highly by architects than Joseon palaces.
Historical facts of Jongmyo Rites
A memorial service held at Jongmyo Shrine.
It was designated as a national intangible cultural asset in 1975, and in 2001. t was selected as a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In 2008, it was integrated into the Representative List of World Intangible Heritage.
Jongmyo Jerye is a national ritual to commemorate the ancestors of the royal family. It was also called Jongmyo Daeje(Dae means ‘Big or Great’ in Korean) because it was the most formal ceremony among all the rituals of the Joseon Dynasty. During the Joseon Dynasty, the Jongmyo ancestral rite was held in the middle of the night with torches and candles lit. Since 1969, it has been held once a year, and since 1971, it has been held once a year at Jeonju Lee Clan’s Daedong Royal Pharmacy during the day on the first Sunday of May every year at Jeongjeon and Yeongnyeongjeon.
In order to reverence the body and mind of those attending the Jongmyo Jerye. The event deacon performs the ritual 7 days in advance and other ritual attendees performs the ritual 3 days in advance. The Jongmyo Rites are performed in the order of welcoming the gods to the Jongmyo Jeryeak. Entertaining them with food and alcohol, and then sending the gods off.
Jongmyo Jeryeak is music performed with music, song, and dance. ‘Ak’ refers to the organization and performance of musical instruments, ‘ga’ refers to the composition and melody of the movement, and ‘mu’ refers to the instrument of Ilmu. The music consists of equivalent songs and traditional songs. As it is said in the classic Oriental musical instrument, ‘Ak is something that has all three elements of music, song and dance,’ Jongmyo Jeryeak is a rare cultural heritage that has all three, and this makes Jongmyo special.
Entrance and directions to Jongmyo Shrine
Jongmyo is very easy to get to as it is in front of a subway station where 3 lines transfer. Take Seoul Subway Line 1, Line 3, or Line 5 and get off at Jongno 3-ga Station. After getting off, walk out of Exit 11 of Jongmyo 3-ga Station and continue straight. If you walk about 600 meters, you will reach the entrance to Jongmyo Park.
In front of the Shrine entrance, turn left and walk for about 2 minutes to reach the Jongmyo Shrine entrance and ticket booth.
Jongmyo Shrine viewing hours and entrance fees
Jongmyo is closed every Tuesday. From February to May, it opens at 9 o’clock and closes at 6 o’clock. Also, the last admission time is 5 p.m. From June to August, it opens at 9:00 and closes at 6:30, and the last admission is at 5:30. From November to January, it opens at 9:30 am and closes at 5:30 pm, and the last admission time is 4:30 pm.
The entrance fee is 1,000 won for both Koreans and foreigners (less than 1 dollar!)
Additionally, in order to protect the historic site of the shrine, all visitors must follow the guided tour that starts every 20 minutes on the hour on weekdays and must not deviate from any other course than the designated course. If you want to tour freely, you must come only on Saturdays. Additionally, the commentary guide is free and is provided in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese.
However, I recommend not visiting Jongmyo Shrine until 2025! Please check the article below for detailed reasons.