• Journal of architectural history
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.53-62
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• 2023

Jogyeongmyo Shrine is the Sijomyo Shrine of the Joseon royal family. It is a representative building that symbolizes Jeonju, the hometown of the Joseon royal family. This study comprehensively analyzes a variety of literature, old maps, and figures, and it investigates the meaning of Jogyeongmyo Shrine as an architectural example as well as its architectural characteristics. The Jogyeongmyo Shrine was built to symbolically demonstrate the superior virtue of the royal ancestors compared to the ancestors of the gentry. King Yeongjo built Jogyeongmyo Shrine, which he considered his greatest achievement, to raise the status of the royal family and exact loyalty from the vassals. Jogyeongmyo Shrine is a unique example of an ceremonial architecture that cannot be observed in China or the previous Korean dynasties. In addition, its architecture looks different from that of ordinary shrines because both Confucian ceremonies and the function of each building were taken into consideration during construction. Although Jogyeongmyo Shrine was preserved without significant changes until the late Joseon dynasty, major modifications were made in all areas except the main shrine area during the Japanese colonial era.