Chilgung is a place of shrines housing the ancestral tablets of seven royal concubines whose sons became kings of the Joseon Dynasty: Jeogyeonggung, Daebingung, Yuksanggung, Yeonhogung, Seonhuigung, Gyeongugung, and Deaogangung. There was originally only one shrine on the grounds of what we call Chilgung today, for Choe Suk-bin, the birth mother of King Yeongjo(1724-1776). The shrine was named Sukbinmyo when King Yeongjo built it in 1725, immediately after his enthronement, but was elevated in status and renamed Yuksanggung in 1753, the 29th year of Yeongjo’s reign. During the reigns of King Gojong(1864-1907) and King Sunjong(1907-1910), shrines of five other mothers of kings who, like Yeongjo’s mother, had never been officially made queens where relocated to the compound. With the moving of Deoganggung here is 1929, the compound became known as Chilgung, meaning seven shrines. Although ancestral tablets for seven royal concubines are enshrined in Chilgung, there are only five shrine buildings because the tablets for Yuksanggung and Yeonhogung and for Seonhuigung and Gyeongugung are enshrined together in one building each.

Naengcheonjeong, Jaesil, Jeonsacheong, Hyandaecheon, Jegigo, Subokbang, and Naengcheon as we see today here were all auxiliary facilities of Yuksanggung. Three houses near the main gate of Chilgung-Songjukjae, Pungwolheon, and Samnakdang where sacrificial rites were prepared-were likely built in the first year of King Yeongjo’s reign. Together with Jongmyo Shrine, Chilgung is a cultural heritage property which shows how royal shrines were built and used during the Joseon period. The ancestral rite called Chilgungje is performed here on the fourth Monday of October every year.

October 22, 2018

Chilgung, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Korean Culture and Information Service

Korea.net (www.korea.net)

Official Photographer: Jeon Han

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칠궁제(七宮祭)

칠궁 – 칠궁은 조선시대에 왕을 낳은 일곱 비빈들의 신위를 모신 사당인 저경궁, 대빈궁, 육상궁, 연호궁, 선희궁, 경우궁, 덕안궁이 있는 곳이다. 칠궁자리에는 원래 육상궁(毓祥宮)만 있었다. 육상궁은 영조가 생모인 숙빈 최씨를 기리기 위하여 즉위 직후 세운 숙빈묘(淑嬪廟)를 영조 29년(1753)에 승격해서 부르게 된 이름이다. 도성 안에는 육상궁 외에도 이러한 사당이 여럿 있었다. 고종 때와 순종 때 이러한 사당들을 이곳으로 옮기고 1929년에 마지막으로 덕안궁을 옮기면서 칠궁이라 부르게 되었다. 칠궁에는 일곱 신위가 모셔져 있지만, 육상궁과 연호궁, 선희궁과 경우궁의 신위가 각각 한 사당 안에 모셔져 있어 사당 건물은 모두 다섯이다. 현재 칠궁에 있는 냉천정, 재실, 전사청, 향대청, 제기고, 수복방, 냉천 등은 모두 육상궁에 딸린 시설이었다. 칠궁 정문 가까이에는 있는 숭죽재와 풍월헌, 삼락당은 제례를 준비하는 재실로, 영조 초년에 지어진 것으로 보인다. 그러나 재실 앞채와 뒤채를 연결하는 부분은 1960년대 이후에 지어진 것이다. 제사 음식을 심사하던 송죽재 앞의 찬막단은 사라지고 없다. 칠궁은 세계문화유산인 종묘와 더불어 조선시대 와실에서 사당을 어떻게 짓고 운영했는지를 알 수 있게 해주는 귀중한 문화유산이다. 여기에서는 매년 10월 넷째주 월요일에 ‘칠궁제’를 지낸다.

2018-10-22

종로구 칠궁

문화체육관광부

해외문화홍보원

코리아넷