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Visit details

Jogyesa is the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Since its predecessor, Gakhwangsa, was founded in 1910 in the heart of Jongno, Seoul, Jogyesa has for more than a hundred years been a place of reliance in the hearts of Buddhists, with the symbolic standing of “Korea’s foremost Buddhist address.”

Set in the middle of Jongno, Jogyesa offers citizens peaceful rest and ease in the city. The footsteps of Buddhists who carry on tradition, and of people living out an urban day, never cease. The neatly kept temple grounds fill with lanterns in spring, lotus flowers in summer, and chrysanthemums in autumn.

The Buddhist Hall on the first floor is used for exhibitions and various events, and the Buddhist newspaper office in the same building publishes a weekly Buddhist newspaper. In front of the dharma hall stands a seven-story stone pagoda built in 1930. Relics of the Buddha are enshrined inside the pagoda; they were brought to Korea in 1914 by the Sri Lankan monk Dhammapala. Stone lanterns stand on either side of the pagoda, and to the left as one faces the dharma hall is the bell pavilion. The pavilion holds a large drum, a Brahma bell, a cloud-shaped gong (unpan), and a wooden fish (mogeo), which sound at morning and evening worship. They are meant not only for people but for all sentient beings who wish to hear the Buddha’s words of awakening: the large drum for four-legged animals, the Brahma bell for those who have fallen or suffer the pains of hell, the cloud gong for birds of the sky, and the wooden fish for creatures that live in water.

Hours: Always open

Closed: Open year-round

Information: 02-768-8600

Address: Jongno-gu Ujeonggug-ro 55 (Gyeonjidong), Seoul

Official website: https://www.jogyesa.kr