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Baengryeonam Hermitage – 백련암 (Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do)
Hermitage History Baengryeonam Hermitage is located on the Haeinsa Temple grounds in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do. Additionally, it’s situated the furthest east of all the hermitages on the Haeinsa Temple grounds. Also, Baengryeonam Hermitage is the highest in elevation on Mt. Gayasan of the Haeinsa Temple hermitages, as well. It’s unknown as to when the hermitage was first built, and it’s also unknown who first built Baengryeonam Hermitage. We do know, however, that the hermitage was reconstructed in 1605 by the monk Soam, who was a disciple of Seosan-daesa (1520-1604). Legend has it that during the Imjin War (1592-98), when the Japanese were invading the Korean Peninsula in 1592, that Soam protected…