Yeonsu Temple (연수암) - Sangju, Korea
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 36° 26.293 E 128° 07.033
52S E 420878 N 4032917
This is a small hermitage in the mountains north of the city of Sangju, Korea, not far from the better known Nangja Temple complex home to several historic treasures.
Waymark Code: WMM2T6
Location: Gyeongsang buk do, South Korea
Date Posted: 07/10/2014
Views: 3
Yeonsu Temple, or hermitage, is fairly recent in origin dating from 1930 with new renovations after a fire in 1980. There was a smaller fire again in 2010 and there were construction materials around the site during this visit in December of 2010.
There is no official page for this religious site nor is there information available through the usual tourist resources. There are, however a couple of personal sites with helpful presentations.
The blog A Bird of Paradise has a nice set of photos with descriptions in Korean.
There is a video by QUBI which gives a nice over view.
The unique feature of this hermitage is a cave hewn into the face of the mountain. Thee are several hundred small statues of Buddha in the main altar and a wooden floor where the monks may meditate in peace. A modern set of glass doors seals the entrance. Nearby is a spring house which appears to be the supply of water for the complex, including an outdoor pool where a small pagoda is mounted.
Another noticeable feature is a standing Golden Goddess of Mercy Statue. See
Chenjongsa for a brief description in Korean.
A large bell was installed here in 1985. See the photo gallery of this waymark for detailed photos.
The living quarters appear to be of more modern design, but my be the under structure in the wake of the fire for a more traditional exterior. Visitors are welcome to update this description and add more recent photos.
Visit Instructions:Include in your log one or two complete sentences. Logs containing a few words like "visited it" are subject to deletion.
Photos of the shrine are strongly encouraged when permitted otherwise please refrain from taking pictures inside and in any case, generally have respect for the religious nature of the site.