Seongwangsa Temple is located in the quiet downtown area of Eupnae-dong, Seosan in Chungcheongnam-do. Its convenient location makes it easily accessible from almost anywhere in town.

The temple was built by Great Monk Daegyeong in 928 in the late Silla period and the scholar Choi Chiwon came here to study while he was serving as the governor of Buseong-gun (currently Seosan) in 893. Originally, the temple was called Samseonam, or Three Hermitages, for there had been three hermitages in the upper, middle, and lower part of Buchunsan Mountain. During the late Joseon dynasty, the hermitages in the upper and middle part were closed and only the one at the bottom survived. In 1987, the name was changed to Seogwangsa Temple.