Gyeongcheonmyo Shrine

Gyeongcheonmyo Shrine is a shrine housing the portrait of King Gyeongsun, the 56th king of Silla, located in Jupo-ri, Gwirae-myeon, Wonju-si. In 927 AD, at the end of the Silla period, King Gyeongsun ascended the throne, but Silla was already too weak to preserve the dynasty. In 935 AD (the 9th year of King Gyeongsun's reign), after discussing the fate of Silla with his ministers, he decided to surrender the kingdom to Goryeo. Afterwards, King Gyeongsun traveled extensively and, upon seeing the beauty of Yonghwasan (now Mireuksan) here, he is said to have created a Maitreya Buddha statue on its summit and founded Haksusa Temple and Gojaam Hermitage below. After King Gyeongsun's death, his loyal ministers and Buddhist followers enshrined his portrait at Gojaam Hermitage and held memorial services, which marked the beginning of the portrait hall.

After the mid-Goryeo period, the hall collapsed and was abandoned. In the early Joseon period, it was rebuilt by Yi Saek and Gwon Geun. During the reign of King Sukjong, Wonju Magistrate Kim Pil-jin had a new portrait painted and built a hall to enshrine it, but it was destroyed by fire. During the reign of King Yeongjo, it was rebuilt, and the king renamed the portrait hall Gyeongcheonmyo. Later, Gyeongcheonmyo was burned down again, but in September 2006, Wonju City restored Gyeongcheonmyo at the foot of Mireuksan to honor the loyalty of the king who preserved Silla culture, based on the tradition of King Gyeongsun's stay here. The outer entrance gate is a flat three-bay gate, and the shrine entrance gate is a raised three-bay gate, while the main building is in the late Joseon Dynasty ikgong style.