A 1925 photo of Wongudan, an altar site in
Seoul built in 1897 as a location for the performance of the
rite of heaven.
KingSeongjong of the
Goryeo Dynasty was the first to perform the rite, designed to ensure a bountiful harvest, in the
tenth century. The practice was discontinued by later Goryeo kings, revived briefly in the mid
fifteenth century by
Sejo of the
Joseon Dynasty, then reinstated with the founding of the
Korean Empire in 1897. Much of the altar complex was destroyed during the
Japanese occupation, and the gate and fountain seen here were also subsequently removed, leaving only the three-storey Hwangungu
pagoda remaining.
A 1925 photo of Wongudan, an altar site in
Seoul built in 1897 as a location for the performance of the
rite of heaven.
KingSeongjong of the
Goryeo Dynasty was the first to perform the rite, designed to ensure a bountiful harvest, in the
tenth century. The practice was discontinued by later Goryeo kings, revived briefly in the mid
fifteenth century by
Sejo of the
Joseon Dynasty, then reinstated with the founding of the
Korean Empire in 1897. Much of the altar complex was destroyed during the
Japanese occupation, and the gate and fountain seen here were also subsequently removed, leaving only the three-storey Hwangungu
pagoda remaining.