Three-story Stone Pagoda from Goseonsa Temple Site, Gyeongju

This pagoda stood on the site of Goseonsa, where the monk Wonhyo had been abbot. When the building of the Deokdong dam put the site under water, it was moved to its present position at the Gyeongju National Museum. Three storeys rise from a two-tier base, in the form typical of Unified Silla. The base is built up from several stones, with columns carved on each face. The body is likewise assembled from several stones — except the third storey, which is cut from one. That was to make room for the reliquary, as became clear when the pagoda was taken apart and rebuilt. The roof stones fall away in a gentle slope with their four corners lifted, which adds lightness, and five steps of support are cut beneath them. It is thought to have been raised in the later seventh century, early in the Unified Silla period, and it shows well the first stage of the move towards the standard pagoda form. That line begins with this pagoda and the east and west pagodas at the Gameunsa site, and reaches its height in the three-storey pagoda at Bulguksa.

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Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

National Treasure · 국보