Unhyeongung, designated as Historic Site No. 257 of the City of Seoul, is located in Uni-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. This palace used to be a Jamjeo (a te ... More
Unhyeongung, designated as Historic Site No. 257 of the City of Seoul, is located in Uni-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. This palace used to be a Jamjeo (a temporary place for the soon-to-be monarch to stay before taking the throne) of Gojong, 26th King of Joseon Dynasty, and was the house of Heungseon Daewongun. Unhyeongung retains its historical importance as a base for Heungseon Daewongun's political activities during the modern Korean era.
Here, Heungseongun, Lee Haeung played the role of de facto ruler and reformed the political system into a royal regime. Even after resigning from the political position of regent, he persisted in engaging in political influences here.
On December 9, 1863 when Heongseongun was promoted to Daewongun and his wife from the Min family received the title of Budaebuin, this private residence was given the name Unhyeongung.
A folk song told that Unhyeongung, where King Gojong lived until he turned 12, and which was a Gwansanggam site during King Cheoljong, had the feng-shui energy to create a king. After King Gojong came to power, Daewongun expanded Unhyeongung again. The name, Unhyeon originated from an uphill path located in front of Seoungwan, whose name was changed to Gwansanggam in the era of King Sejo. The name remained as a special name for that. That is, Ungwan, coming from Seoungwan and Unhyeon, the name of the uphill path in front of Ungwan, were used literally for this spot.
The old church building constructed in 1949 was demolished, and a new building was built in 2014. The new Gahoe-dong Catholic Church is remarkably ch ... More
The old church building constructed in 1949 was demolished, and a new building was built in 2014. The new Gahoe-dong Catholic Church is remarkably characterized by the juxtaposition of traditional hanok and modern architecture. The two different styles were not made into a melange, but juxtaposed so that people can feel the different charms at the same time.
The building expresses a Korean gentleman wearing hanbok putting his arms around a blue-eyed foreign priest. The low-built hanok, giving Korean traditional vibes to the area that was losing such atmosphere, and the western-style church behind it catch the eyes of passers-by. While the construction project was planned on a large lot of 3,300 square meters, the project divided up construction into three buildings matching the atmosphere of the neighborhood. Natural materials were mainly used and stained glass was used minimally to enhance the charm of hanok architecture.
The hanok building was built using Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) by a master carpenter of intangible cultural heritage to create high-quality results. As it is a religious building, you can find various religious elements inside. The miracle of five loaves of bread and two fish is engraved on the tiles of the roof. Such small details make us imagine the time when the priest who majored in architecture and the architect in charge of design shared their opinions to settle on the design of the buildings.