Hwangudan
Imperial shrine in Seoul, South Korea
About
Hwangudan (Korean: 환구단; Hanja: 圜丘壇) was a shrine complex that still partially stands in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. The complex consisted of two main buildings: a coronation site and Hwanggungu (황궁우; 皇穹宇; lit. 'Imperial Vault of Heaven'). The coronation site was built in late 1897 and destroyed in 1913. Hwanggungu was built in 1899 and still stands today.
The coronation site was built as the site of King Gojong's ritual declaration of the Korean Empire. Upon his ascendency, Gojong performed the Rite of Heaven, a ritual that had not been performed by a Korean monarch for hundreds of years. The ritual was normally reserved for Sons of Heaven, but Korea had been a tributary state to China for centuries.
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Capital and largest city of South Korea
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Myeongdong Cathedral
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Archdiocese of Seoul
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