Seonamsa, Jogyesan

Quick facts

Address

450 Seonamsa-gil, Seungju-eup, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do

About this place

Seonamsa stands on Jogyesan in Seungju-eup, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do. It is said that Ado first opened it in 542 under the name Biroam, but this is hard to accept as it stands. The account that Doseon founded it in 875 and named it Seonamsa carries more credibility. The Seungseongyo, the stone bridge at the entrance, was designated a Treasure in 1963. In June 2018 the temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list under the name Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea.

Origin and history

It is said that Ado first opened the temple in 542 under the name Biroam, but this is hard to accept as it stands.

The account that Doseon founded it in 875 and named it Seonamsa carries more credibility.

The Seungseongyo, the stone bridge at the entrance, was designated a Treasure in 1963.

In June 2018 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list under the name Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea.

What it is locally associated with

• Origin

  Two founding accounts, weighed

  The story that Ado opened it in 542 as Biroam is hard to accept as it stands, while the account that Doseon founded it in 875 as Seonamsa carries more credibility.

  documented history

• Power spot

  The Seungseongyo

  The stone bridge at the entrance was designated a Treasure in 1963.

  documented history

• What people do here

  Two temples on one mountain

  Songgwangsa in Suncheon stands on the same Jogyesan, and the two are designated together as the Songgwangsa and Seonamsa precinct.

  documented history

This temple’s record puts two founding accounts beside each other and says outright which is the better. The story that Ado opened it in 542 as Biroam is written down as hard to accept as it stands, and the account that Doseon founded it in 875 as Seonamsa is written down as carrying more credibility. Both are set out, and then they are weighed.

Records that doubt their own founding dates appear several times on this site. Gwallyongsa in Changnyeong says its date of 349 has no certain basis, Daewonsa in Sancheong says the account of 548 has no historical reliability, and Naesosa in Buan says the founding is simply unknown. This is the one that goes on to say which account it prefers.

Songgwangsa in Suncheon stands on the same Jogyesan. The two are designated together under the name of the Songgwangsa and Seonamsa precinct on Jogyesan, and both entered the World Heritage list in June 2018 among the Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea.

The Seungseongyo, the stone bridge at the entrance, was designated a Treasure in 1963.

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. 조계산 선암사(曹溪山 仙巖寺) — 한국민족문화대백과사전 (accessed 2026-08-16)