Five-story Stone Brick Pagoda in Sanhae-ri, Yeongyang

A pagoda standing in a field by the river at Sanhae-ri, Ibam-myeon, Yeongyang, North Gyeongsang; the village is also called Bonggam, so it was once known as the Bonggam pagoda. Many roof-tile and celadon fragments scattered in the surrounding fields show that the area was a temple site. It is a stone pagoda in imitation of brick, built of stone dressed into brick shapes: five storeys on a single-tier base. The base is a low bed of mixed earth and stone, with some ten long, large stones fitted on it. Above it, body stones and roof stones alike are built of brick-shaped stones. The first-storey body has a niche for a Buddha, and the two granite pillars either side of it and the finely carved lintel add a decorative touch. Distinctively, from the second storey up, a band of stones projects about halfway up each body. The roof stones are stepped above and below, in the brick-pagoda manner, and the eaves are narrow. The single-tier base, the dressing of the stone and the ornament of the niche suggest it was built in Unified Silla. Balanced and orderly in construction, with a solemn beauty, it is an outstanding work.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeongyang, Gyeongbuk

Designation

National Treasure · 국보