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Founded
The temple to Confucius was first built in 1070
The Temple of Literature is dedicated to Confucius and was founded and first built in 1070. Its statues of Confucius, his four best disciples and the Duke of Zhou were carved, and 72 other statues of Confucian scholars were painted.
The academy
Vietnam's first national university opened here in 1076
In 1076 the Imperial Academy was established within the temple to educate Vietnam's bureaucrats, nobles, royalty and other members of the elite. The university remained open until 1779.
1076 to 1779the years the Imperial Academy remained open
The stelae
82 stone stelae on turtles list 1307 graduates of royal exams
Work on the stone stelae began in 1484. Of the 116 erected, 82 remain, naming 1307 graduates of 82 triennial royal exams. The turtle that carries each one is a symbol of longevity and wisdom.
1307graduates named on the surviving stelae
Layout
Three paths run through five courtyards, and the centre one was the monarch's
The gate opens onto three pathways. The centre path was reserved for the monarch, the left for administrative mandarins and the right for military mandarins. The interior of the site is divided into five courtyards.
The French
The French listed it in 1906, then demolished parts of it for a hospital
Under the French protectorate the temple was registered as a Monument historique in 1906. Between 1945 and 1954 the French demolished parts of it to make room for the Saint Paul Hospital. Major restorations took place in 1920, 1954 and 2000.
Day 3, afternoon
It comes after One Pillar Pagoda. Then Tran Quoc Pagoda.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Temple of Literature, Hanoi, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.