Global InformationGakhwangjeon Hall information
| Gakhwangjeon Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2006 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Korean Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Country | South Korea |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°15′26″N 127°29′50″E / 35.2572°N 127.4972°E |
| Type | National Treasure |
| Reference no. | 67 |
 | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 각황전 |
| Hanja | 覺皇殿 |
| Revised Romanization | Gakhwangjeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kakhwangchŏn |
Gakhwangjeon Hall (Korean: 각황전) is a hall of worship at Hwaeomsa, a Buddhist temple in Gurye County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is one of the monastery's two principal halls and overlooks the northwest end of the courtyard. In addition to being one of the largest Buddhist halls in South Korea, Gakhwangjeon Hall is registered as National Treasure 67 by the Cultural Heritage Administration.
The largest edifice of Hwaeomsa from the Unified Silla period until the mid-Joseon dynasty was Jangnyukjeon Hall, a multi-story wooden structure whose inner stone walls were inscribed with the Flower Garland Sutra. Jangnyukjeon Hall was destroyed in 1593 when the temple was burned to the ground by the Japanese during the Imjin War. The restoration of Hwaeomsa was begun in 1630 by the monk Byeogam Gakseong but at that time the cost of rebuilding Jangnyukjeon Hall was beyond the temple's means. From 1699 to 1702 the monk Gyepa Seongneung, one of Gakseong's disciples, oversaw the reconstruction of the hall, which was subsequently renamed Gakhwangjeon Hall. The majority of the funding was contributed by Lady Hwagyeong, a consort of King Sukjong, and several noblemen holding senior positions in the government bureaucracy.
Gakhwangjeon Hall was one of the most important feats of mid-Joseon Buddhist architecture. Constructed from wood onto a stone base, the hall is two stories in height and measures seven bays across. It underwent a major renovation in the Japanese colonial period, during which the hall was completely disassembled and then rebuilt. The hall's inner sanctum contains seven altar statues executed in 1703 by the influential sculptor Saengnan. They include the seated Buddha triad of Sakyamuni, Amitābha and Prabhutaratna, representing the Buddhas of the Three Periods, attended by standing Bodhisattva statues of Avalokiteśvara, Samantabhadra, Manjusri and Ksitigarbha. Altar paintings of the three Buddhas were later completed in 1860, although one mistakenly depicts Bhaisajyaguru instead of Prabhutaratna.