Taejo Yi Seonggye: Founding Joseon, Building Jongmyo and Sajik

In the Joseon Dynasty, to "abandon Jongmyo and Sajik" meant to stand by and let the nation fall into ruin. Jongmyo refers to the royal shrine housing the spirit tablets of successive kings and queens, while Sajik refers to the altar where prayers were offered to the gods of land and grain for a bountiful harvest. Jongmyo and Sajik were the very foundation upon which the kingdom stood — the most sacred spaces where the people prayed for peace and prosperity. Taejo Yi Seonggye chose Hanyang as the new capital and constructed Jongmyo even before Gyeongbokgung Palace. Jongmyo was built to the left of Gyeongbokgung and Sajik to the right, and to visit these places today is to retrace the very beginnings of the Joseon Dynasty.

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