The Bongwon Temple (or Bongwonsa) is a Buddhist temple located in Seoul, South Korea. It was built in 889 by master Doseon, originally on the site of today's Yonsei University. It eventually relocated in 1748, a few hundred meters away to the south foot of An Mountain.Bongwonsa is the head temple of the Taego Order (the second largest sect of Korean Buddhism). 
To add to the aesthetics of the temple, Bongwonsa's 15 buildings are covered in beautiful paintings. This particular style of painting which is very common on Korean temples is called Tanch'ong. Tanch'ong helps preserve the wood from insects while adding glory and richness to the buildings. These decorative bright paintings work together with the complex traditional construction of the temples to also emphasize certain structures of the architectural elements.
As a result the paintings which are often symbolic work to unite the building as a whole not only architecturally, but also in the values of Buddhism.
This interests me because the unity of paintings with architecture gives the structure life and personality. I remember when being a child, I would always be fascinated when entering a temple because of the sacred atmosphere the architecture and the environment created together. The ancient smell of wood, symbolic detailed paintings, dim lighting of candles and the fragile statues of the Buddha inside the temple somehow made me feel more calm and spiritual.
By: Helen Jeong
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