Gijang Hyanggyo

Gijang Hyanggyo was first established in 1617 of the Joseon Guanghae King's reign. There remains the Seongmoo Jungsu Gi (Saint Temple Rebuilding Record) from 1855, and most of the existing buildings date from that period. The building layout consists of arranging the educational space, Myeongryun-dang, in front and the ritual space, Daseongjeon, at the back, forming the traditional structure of Jeonhak Homyo. The existing buildings include Daseongjeon, Myeongryun-dang, Dongjae and Seojae, Fungwalu, Neusammun, and Oesammun. Daseongjeon has a front facade of three rooms and a side facade of three rooms, and its roof appears as a person-shaped (ren-shaped) matching gable when viewed from the side. Inside, it houses the tomb tablets of Confucius and the sage kings of China and Korea. Myeongry-ryun-dang serves as a classroom where students gather to study, with the side rooms being heated rooms and the central three rooms being raised platforms. During the Joseon period, students were taught with support from the state in terms of land and slaves, but today, the educational function has disappeared and only the ritual function remains.