'Biamsa Geungnakbojeon' Designated and Announced as Sejong City's 'No. 1 Architectural Cultural Property'

A panoramic photo of the Geungnakbojeon Hall at Biamsa Temple in Jeonui. Provided by Sejong City

[Asia Economy (Sejong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Biamsa Gukrakbojeon (Tangible Cultural Property No. 1) has been designated and announced as the first architectural cultural property in the Sejong area.

Sejong City announced on the 23rd that Biamsa Gukrakbojeon, located in Dabang-ri, Jeonui-myeon, has been designated and announced as Treasure No. 2119.

Biamsa is regarded as a historic temple preserving 1 National Treasure, 2 Treasures, and 4 Tangible Cultural Properties.

The Gukrakbojeon within Biamsa is the main Buddha hall of Biamsa, built as a Dapo-style Paljakjip with 3 bays in the front and 2 bays on the side. The Dapo style is an architectural style where the supporting members holding up the eaves of the roof are placed between the columns.

In particular, the 2-bay side Buddha hall is a type widely built after the Japanese invasions and is estimated to have been constructed after the 17th century. Above all, considering the ‘Yeongsan Gwaebuldo (1657)’ painted by the monk Shin-gyeom, it proves that Biamsa was an active temple for religious activities in the region.

Also, the furniture structure shows a unique technique that solved structural problems by using three supplementary beams to allow for the insertion of gan-sal (lattice) despite being a 2-bay side structure.

Lee Chun-hee, Mayor of Sejong City, said, “Biamsa Gukrakbojeon reflects the era when temple economies shrank after the war,” and added, “In terms of distribution, it is a rare case with only one building each remaining of the Daeungjeon at Gaesimsa Temple in Seosan, Chungnam, and the Gukrakbojeon in Sejong City.”