Ssanggyesa Temple

NORTH KOREA, South Chungcheong, Nonsan

Ssanggyesa means Twin Streams Temple. The temple was recorded in the Geographical Survey of the Eastern Kingdom published in 1481 in the Joseon dynasty. According to the inscription found on the beams of the Great Hero Hall, the temple was built in 1395 and reconstructed in 1684 during the Joseon dynasty. It is listed as National Treasure No. 121.
The temple buildings include the Great Hero Hall, Mind-Sharpening Hall, and Mountain Deity Shrine. The Great Hero Hall is the main hall. It has a hip-and-gable roof and is a three-by-two bay structure built upon a platform made of piled stones. There are four lattice doors in each bay. On the exterior five-tier bracket sets are used, while the interior features nine-tier bracket sets. There is a highly decorated bracket set above each column with two bracket sets between, creating a symmetrical support system. A statue of Sakyamuni Buddha is enshrined within the hall. The beams are decorated with an array of motifs, such as lotuses. In between the large beams and the middle beams there are floral decorations, which are rarely seen in such structures.