Bongeunsa

Quick facts

Address

531 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

About this place

Bongeunsa is a Joseon-period temple on Sudosan in Gangnam, Seoul. In the mid-fifteenth century, when Prince Gwangpyeong died, his wife Lady Sin founded it near his grave under the name Gyeonseongam, to pray for his repose. In 1551 it was made the head temple of the Seon school with Bou as abbot. In 1562, when King Jungjong’s tomb was moved, the temple was relocated to Sudosan and extensively rebuilt with Queen Munjeong’s support.

Origin and history

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture describes Bongeunsa as a Joseon-period temple on Sudosan in Gangnam, Seoul.

In the mid-fifteenth century, when Prince Gwangpyeong (1425–1444) died, his wife Lady Sin founded it near his grave under the name Gyeonseongam, in order to pray for her husband’s repose.

In 1551, the sixth year of King Myeongjong, this temple was made head temple of the Seon school and Bongseonsa at Gwangneung head temple of the Gyo school; Heoeung Bou was made abbot, so that it should become the centre from which Buddhism was revived.

In 1562 King Jungjong’s tomb was moved east of Seolleung, and the temple standing on that site was moved again to Sudosan, where it was extensively rebuilt with Queen Munjeong’s support.

What it is locally associated with

• OriginFamily & Home

  To pray for a husband’s repose

  When Prince Gwangpyeong died, his wife Lady Sin founded it near his grave as Gyeonseongam, to pray for his repose.

  documented history

• Origin

  Head temple of the Seon school, 1551

  It was made head temple of the Seon school with Bou as abbot, to be the centre from which Buddhism was revived.

  documented history

• Origin

  Moved and rebuilt, 1562

  When King Jungjong’s tomb was moved, the temple was relocated to Sudosan and extensively rebuilt with Queen Munjeong’s support.

  documented history

Why this temple exists is in its first sentence. Prince Gwangpyeong died at nineteen, and his wife built a hermitage beside his grave to pray for his repose. One person’s prayer became a temple.

What followed was not private. In 1551 it was made the head temple of the Seon school, with Bou as abbot, and became the centre from which Buddhism was to be revived. In 1562 the king’s tomb was moved and the temple with it, and Queen Munjeong’s support rebuilt it on a large scale.

Today it is ringed by towers. The city came to the temple, not the other way round.

Related guides

• How to visit a Korean templeHands together and hands folded, how the bows work, and what to do at the threshold of a hall. Starting with what is different from visiting a Japanese shrine.
• The small hall behind the main one — sansingak and samseonggakUphill from the main hall of a Korean temple stands a smaller one, and inside it an old man with a tiger. This is where the indigenous religion sits, inside the Buddhist institution.
• Templestay — a night at a templeA programme that puts you inside a temple’s own timetable for a day or two. What you do, which type to book, and what to be ready for.
• Prayer sites and the one wishThe three great Gwaneum sites, the five relic halls, and the crowds before the entrance exam. Where the saying about one wish comes from, and where the record stops.

Sources

1. 수도산 봉은사(修道山 奉恩寺) — 한국민족문화대백과사전 — Academy of Korean Studies (accessed 2026-08-12)