Seonamsa Temple선암사

At a glance

Seonamsa sits on the eastern slopes of Mt. Jogyesan, with Songgwangsa Temple on the mountain's western side. Its story begins with a hermitage said to have been built in 529, and the monk Doseon is credited with founding the present temple in 861; today it is the Taego Order's only chongnim, a full monastic training center. You enter over Seungseongyo, an arched stone bridge resting on bedrock with a carved dragon's head at its center, and two three-story stone pagodas stand before the main hall; both are among the temple's seven Treasures. Old oaks, camellias and maples make it a well-known autumn foliage spot, and a wild tea field said to be about 800 years old grows behind the temple.

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Seonamsa Temple · 3 tours & tickets

1. GetYourGuidePrivate tour from Jeonju: Seonamsa & DamyangAn 8-hour private van tour from Jeonju Hanok Village to Seonamsa Temple in Suncheon and to Damyang.Book
2. KlookSeonamsa & Naganeupseong small-group day tourA full-day small-group tour of Seonamsa Temple and Naganeupseong Folk Village in Suncheon.Book
3. KlookSeonamsa & Naganeupseong day tour from BusanA day tour from Busan to Seonamsa Temple and Naganeupseong Folk Village.Book

Places to stay nearby

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Map

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Tips

• 01
  Follow the trail to the left of the main temple to find a Buddha carved into a rock about 7 m high.
• 02
  Around Gyeongchip in early March, you can taste gorosoe maple sap from trees that grow wild near the temple.

Nearby

Naganeupseong Folk VillageA Joseon-era walled town near Suncheon where families still live in thatched-roof houses inside 1,410 m of stone walls.Suncheonman Bay National GardenKorea's first national garden, created for the 2013 Suncheon Bay garden expo, with world gardens, theme gardens, a SkyCube pod ride and a Ferris wheel.Suncheon Open Film SetAn outdoor film set rebuilding Korean streets of the 1960s–80s, used for more than 80 films and dramas, with retro school uniforms to rent.