전설에 의하면 경복궁에서 볼 때 서쪽에 있어서 '서방정', '정토사'라고 하였는데 어느 여름날 연못에서 갑자기 하얀 연꽃이 피어올라 [백련사]라고 명칭을 바꾸었다고 전한다.
According to the legend, it was said to be Seobangjeong Pavilion and Jeongtosa Temple because it is in the west when viewed from Gyeongbokgung Palace, and on a summer day, a white lotus flower suddenly bloomed in a pond and was renamed Baengnyeonsa Temple.